Sanctuary
by thesandbar
Summary: Things always change in Ryan's life. After moving at the age of 10, she adopts a local bookstore as her sanctuary. Now, 12 years later, it is about to be yanked out from beneath her feet when it is saved by someone from a completely different world that holds a similar bond with the old bookstore. The effort of preserving the bookstore creates a new escape for the both of them.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: After years of reading, I finally decided to publish something of my own. Thank you to ChasingMyDreams87 for giving me that final push to upload this. You only really meet the OC's in this chapter, but all the guys come in later. This is real-verse, so I'm using the real people and personalities. By the way, Ryan is a girl! I'm really nervous about it, but I hope y'all like it! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you might recognize, only the plot and my OC's**

* * *

Her head shook to the beat of the soft music as she made her way around the familiar corner, her lips softly mouthing and almost whispering the lyrics. She could easily say that she spent every waking moment at that very bookstore, and she wouldn't be lying in the slightest. It had always been her home-away-from-home, but that changed sooner than she dreamed it would.

She was a regular, and every employee knew her. They found out the store was closing down not a second before her, but no one could believe it. They all saw it coming, but no one thought of what would happen when the time finally came.

Walking up and down the aisles of the store brought back memories from the past 12 years that had been buried beneath the stacks of books. Seeing everything boxed up and ready to be shipped out made it feel real. She floated along, as soft and lifeless as a ghost, but she was snapped out of her trance when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned when she heard a familiar voice.

"Never believed it would actually happen, huh?" uttered the tall man standing in front of her, taking in the sight of the bookstore.

"It's finally sinking in. Alex, we've literally grown up here! How can it just..." Her voice trailed off as she turned away from her only real friend.

"I know, Ryan, I don't want to lose it either. Hell, working here was helping me pay for living. I don't know what I'm gonna do now."

"It's more than that. This place was my escape." Ryan was never a people-person, and Hooked on Books was her hideaway. There were never more than a few people, and most of them stayed out of her way. Unfortunately, that meant that the store wasn't making much money. It was only a matter of time before it had to be shut down.

"Who knows, maybe something will happen. Maybe we won't have to lose it." It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than convince Ryan.

"We both know it's not gonna last, why try and dream?"

Alex smirked, "Always a pessimist. And you wonder why I'm your only friend!"

That earned him a slap on the arm, but before she turned back around, he saw a hint of a grin on Ryan's face. The real reason was that he was the only one that made her feel happy. No one could make her genuinely smile, much less laugh, before she met Alex.

"Aww, come on now, babe. You know you love me!" His arms wrapped her up in a bear hug as she chuckled.

"Yea, sure, whatever you say, babe," she emphasized the last word and tied it all together with a roll of her eyes, but the smile was stillShe leaned her head back against his broad chest, and he lightly kissed the top of her head. The two of them had a closer relationship than most friends, but they made it clear to each other that the feelings were not romantic in any way. Even so, they teased each other with silly pet names, and they did boyfriend/girlfriend type stuff. It was just the way they were.

"Come on," Alex tugged his friend's arm. "We need to leave. It'll still be here for a few weeks. We can come back and reminisce tomorrow."

The smile that had been present on her face from the previous exchange faded, and she simply nodded and followed behind. She knew things would always be changing, but it seemed that only the good things disappeared forever.

* * *

She woke up the next day and dragged herself out of bed. She went through her regular morning routine which consisted of brushing her teeth in the shower, getting dressed, and shooting Alex a text. She completed each thing on her checklist and made her way out the door, holding a granola bar and a bottle of Gatorade in one hand and her phone in the other.

When she reached her car, she checked her phone, only to find that Alex still hadn't replied. To anyone else, that wouldn't be a big deal, but that was completely out of the ordinary for him. He usually responded by the time she was out of the shower. Just as she started where car, she got a message.

_Get over here fast. I'm already at the store._

Not knowing what was going on, she pulled away from the curb and raced off. The drive was short, and when she got there, she saw Alex standing out front. By the time she parked, he was standing right next to her car.

"What's going on? Why didn't you wait for me pick you up?" She questioned as she noted the evident gleam in his stormy gray eyes. She quickly realized that his dark brown hair wasn't as orderly as usual, and instead of his uniform shoes, he was wearing his Vans. He was always very casual, but he still looked neat wherever he went. It became obvious that he had left his apartment that morning in a hurry.

"Someone bought the store."

The moment those words slipped past his lips, he broke out into a mile-wide grin. Ryan, on the other hand, looked stunned.

"But who would buy a run-down bookstore in the middle of Weston, Florida?"

"Umm, me?" Said a new voice. It was rich and smooth, but oddly familiar. Ryan recognized it, but refused to believe it was him until she looked up to find herself face-to-face with the short Latino.

* * *

**A/N: I know, not the best way to end it. The first chapter revolves entirely around the OC's, but I promise, all the guys play major roles in the story. You'll see why the bookstore means so much to them later on in the story. I'm kind of scared about this. Please review, favorite, and/or follow if you want me to continue. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, so, I checked the stats on this story and it had around 15 views! I don't know if that's a lot, or very few, but either way, I'm super excited. Only got one favorite/follow/review (thanks ChasingMyDreams87), but I'm still happy. Hopefully this chapter is a bit better than the last one. It's still pretty short, but the chapters should get longer once we get further into the story. I hope you guys like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you might recognize.**

* * *

She couldn't find the words to speak, but it wasn't out of awe. It was more of the confusion and surprise over the situation. Why would he do this? Why would he want a tiny bookstore at the end of the block? How did he even know about it?! These questions swarmed around inside of Ryan's head, but she couldn't bring herself to say much.

"Why?" The word barely slipped past her lips in a breathy whisper, but it seemed to get the man's attention.

"I grew up here. This bookstore was everything to me before I moved out to LA. It was a hideaway when I was little, and my first job as a teen." He used his hands as he spoke, gesturing to the little shop. "I don't... I don't think I could imagine my life without it here." He sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets and refusing to look at anything but the building standing before him.

"You don't even live here anymore!" Ryan finally regained her mentality and spoke with such force, it caused the Latino to stumble backwards. Alex, who was still standing beside beside her, let out a small chuckle.

"We-well, I still come back to, uh, to visit my-my family..." He stuttered as he spoke, finally seeing the girl's true nature.

"When was the last time yo-" Her interrogation was cut off by Alex slapping a hand over her mouth. She glared up at him, and he couldn't help but smirk.

"Sorry, she uh, gets that way sometimes... She really appreciates it, she's just confused and being stupid," he said, looking at the new owner of the store, then back to his friend. He smirked once more, seeing her furious expression, but it soon disappeared when she bit his palm.

"Ow!" Alex yelped, and it was Ryan's turn to smirk.

"Quit whining, you deserved it," she said, emphasizing her point by slapping his arm.

"Ow!" He screeched once again, this time causing Ryan to laugh. "Well, I'm glad my pain brings you pleasure!" The sarcasm in his voice clearly evident.

"Oh, it does!" She said between fits of laughter. Both friends forgot there was someone else present until they heard a light chuckle. They looked up to see the man's amused smirk.

"Uh, sorry..." was all Alex could manage, whereas Ryan had gone back to her previous state: rigid, stern, and attentive.

"Nahh, don't worry about it," said the man with a wave of his hand. "I'm used to the banter. It's pretty entertaining anyway," he punctuated his statement with a breathy laugh, lightening the mood.

"Why does this place mean so much to you if you're only here every so often?" Ryan resumed her previous questioning.

"Look, I come here to visit my family, but also to relax. My job takes a toll on me, and it's nice to have something to come home to. I love my family, but I also need time alone."

"How come I've never seen you here, huh? I practically live here. I know all the customers and employees, yet I've never seen you before."

"When I leave LA, I don't really leave my job. I get recognized everywhere I go, so I sometimes have to try and hide."

"I realize that, but I'm pretty sure I would've recognized you, Carlos." She addressed him by name for the first time during their exchange.

"Really? You would've recognized me?" he said in a teasing voice, trying to hold back his grin. "You a fan?"

"Th-that's beside the point!" exclaimed Ryan, unable to hide the blush creeping up on her face.

"Alright, alright!" Carlos surrendered, adding to it by putting both hands in the air, still smiling. "But either way, I own this place now, and I intend to keep it up and running, even when I'm in LA," he said in a determined voice.

"But-" she was cut off once again.

"Ryan, just shut up and be happy! The shop is here to stay. God, this is what I mean when I say that you are such a pessimist!" Alex ended his statement by punching her in the arm.

"Fine. Whatever," she replied, shoulders sagging in defeat.

"Now, shall we go in?" questioned Carlos, rubbing his hands together.

* * *

"Why are you so against this, Ry?" The two of them were unpacking the books and restocking the shelves while Carlos finalized the sale. Ryan succumbed to the fact that he was going to be the owner, but she still seemed tense and distracted.

"Because, Alex, I know what's gonna happen. Trust me, I know he's a good guy, but how is he gonna manage this from California? It's across the country from where he lives, and he already has enough on his plate!"

Alex sighed, "Just because he owns it doesn't make him the manager. He'll oversee everything that goes on, but he'll probably hire someone to take care of the place."

"I don't know Alex, I just don't have a good feeling about this. And what'll happen when word gets out that he owns this shop?" Ryan sighed, leaning back against a shelf.

"Then we'll be swarming with customers! This place will be packed-" The realization dawned on him as he spoke the words. "Oh, Ryan, is that what's wrong? You think it'll be taken over? That we'll lose our safe place?"

She nodded sheepishly, not wanting to have to say it.

Alex wrapped his arms around her, encasing her in his warmth. The two just stood there for a moment, thinking about what was to come. Alex finally looked down at her, gray eyes meeting hazel. He spoke softly, but surely.

"I promise, this bookstore will always be our sanctuary, and no pop star or crazy fans could take that away from us."

* * *

**A/N: Well, that's it... Not great, but I'd love you if guys reviewed/followed/favorited (; I promise, it'll get better.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Ahhh, okay, two more follows! I feel so pathetic, but I'm so excited. Thank you guys so much. And to the Guest reviewer: Thank you so much, that means a lot! Hopefully I don't disappoint you:/**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you might recognize. **

* * *

A week later, nothing had changed aside from the bookstore being restocked and prepared for re-opening. Ryan was still trying to get used to the idea of a world-famous pop star owning her little shop. Not that it had ever belonged to her, although it seemed quite like it to Carlos. She was relatively cold towards him, despite being a fan for over 3 years. It wasn't that she had anything against him, but she just wasn't sure if she trusted him with the one place she had held so close to her heart for the past 12 years of her life.

Carlos was constantly trying to warm up to her, but every time he even came close to wearing her down, she turned on her heel and left him, speechless, yet thoughtful. He wasn't sure why she was being like this. He understood that the small shop was special to her, he felt the same about it, but she needed to trust that he was going to keep it alive.

He brushed these thoughts aside as he walked up and down the rows of shelves. He was supposed to be inspecting them, but he couldn't bring himself to think of anything other than his past, and what had initially drawn him to the tiny little building at the young age of 11. Fingertips ghosting over the smooth wood of the shelves, he skimmed over the various titles etched into the spines of the books. His trance was soon broken by a light noise coming from beside him. He turned his head slightly to find Alex chuckling.

"Funny, I found Ryan here, doing the exact same thing, only just last week. She was devastated when she heard what was going to happen to this place. We both were," Alex admitted, refusing to meet Carlos's eyes.

"I figured. This place sounds like it means the world to you. Both of you, I mean. I just don't- I don't understand why she is still upset. I'm not going to let it shut down!" Carlos's voice crescendoed as his hand fell from the shelf, almost immediately flailing around him, gesturing aimlessly.

"Like I said before, she really does appreciate that someone is taking over," Alex sighed. "But the reason she loved it here so much was because she could come here to escape reality. There were never too many people. When word gets out that you're the new owner, it'll flood with people."

The thought never occurred to Carlos. He carded his fingers through his hair, not knowing how to respond.

"She just doesn't want to lose her safe place," Alex added.

"I don't want to take that away from her, I really don't! But I don't know how to prevent it from happening," Alex knew that Carlos's intentions were genuine, but they were poisonous, nonetheless. Someone would always be hurt.

* * *

"Ryan, please just give it a chance. He's not trying to take this place away from you! He is trying his hardest to help," the two companions were driving home, Ryan in the driver's seat and Alex riding shotgun.

"I know that," she gritted out, hands tightening on the wheel. She really wanted to trust Carlos, but she couldn't help but have a bad feeling.

"Ryan, I know what you're feeling, I get it. But what are you gonna do about it? It's not like we can stop it from happening. Just be thankful that we aren't losing the shop!" Alex was starting to lose it.

"We might as well be!" Ryan retorted, yanking the steering wheel and turning on Alex's street.

"He's gonna take care of it. It means just as much to him as it does to you," Alex said, calming down and patting Ryan's knee.

"I know, I just- I don't wanna lose it," she sighed, covering his hand with hers and parking in front of his apartment building.

"I already promised you: we will not lose it."

Ryan's response was a nod and a barely audible "thank you." Alex just smiled softly, kissed the top of her head, and jogged away towards the building. Ryan lifted her head to watch his retreating figure until he finally disappeared. She sighed once more, and turned her car in the opposite direction of her apartment.

She didn't have a set destination in mind, but she ended up at the diner on Stockbridge Drive. The diner was a lot like the bookstore: small, rundown, and quaint. Throughout high school, she spent night after night there, but it had been hard to do the same in college. She wasn't sure what possessed her to return after so long, but she still went in, taking in the scent of the rich diner food.

She was standing in the doorway for a moment, sifting through the memories of chatting for hours with the waitresses behind the counter. Walking up to the bar, her eyes met a familiar set of light brown orbs. A slow, lazy grin crossed her face as realization sank in.

"R-Ryan? Oh, honey, it has been just too long! Where have you been hiding your cute little self?" The waitress leaned over the bar table to envelope Ryan in a hug, and Ryan reciprocated.

"Hiya, Margaret," was all she could say before she felt herself losing oxygen. "Whoa, ok, losing air!"

"Ahh, haven't changed one bit, have you, Missy?" said Margaret with a chuckle. "What can I get for ya?"

"Home-style coffee?"

"Nope, haven't changed at all." Margaret shook her head playfully as she began making the same brew she hade made for Ryan several years before. Just then, the door creaked open. Ryan didn't bother looking up until she heard a dramatic gasp from the little old lady across the counter.

"No... Oh my Lord, it is you!" That drew Ryan's attention, and she looked up to find none other than Carlos staring down at her. Just as she was about to say something, he got the same treatment from Margaret as Ryan had, just minutes before.

"Hey Margie," it was just barely above a whisper. Her returned her tight hug and buried his face in her shoulder. They stood there for a second before breaking apart. It was only then that Carlos noticed Ryan sitting and watching him.

"Heh, what are the odds..." He trailed off, looking away with a slight smile.

"You two have met?" Margaret started to catch on, quite amused by the situation, as she returned to making Ryan's coffee.

"We, uh... We work together, I guess you'd say," replied Carlos, who had taken a seat next to Ryan at the bar.

"Interesting. So, we have a lot of catching up to do, all of us. What would you like, sweetheart?"

"Hmm, hot chocolate?"

"Some people never change," Margaret replied. "We'll, I gotta head to the back to get more cocoa. You two chat a bit."

Carlos and Ryan nodded simultaneously. The second she had turned the corner and entered the storage room, Carlos spoke to Ryan for the first time since he had arrived.

"We need to talk."

* * *

**A/N: Hopefully y'all are enjoying this. I know i say this every time, but i promise the chapters WILL get longer. I'm just trying to set up the plot. I'm pretty new to this, so cut me some slack:P As always, review/follow/favorite! I'd love to just have feedback, maybe some input on what to do with the story...? I have a general idea on what I'm doing, but I don't know exactly how I'm gonna get there. There's a path, I promise. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Agh! I haven't updated in days! I'm a horrible person. I'm sorry! I had testing this week, and that threw everything off schedule. I really love this chapter, it's really a good starting point for the story in my opinion. You learn a little bit about Ryan, and it shows a lot about Ryan and Alex's relationship. When it talks about where Ryan is from, it is based off of me. I hope you guys enjoy it, and I promise I'll try and be better about updating.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable. **

* * *

She knew it was coming. She was hesitant to even talk to Alex, much less Carlos, but she knew she didn't have much of a choice. When she said it old loud, she realized how childish it sounded, but she couldn't help it. She didn't want to lose it.

"Look, Ryan, I get where you're coming from. Why won't you just talk to me?"

"I don't know," Ryan replied in a whisper, looking down at her coffee.

"I know you know you can trust me. What would happen if you just told me what was on your mind? We haven't known each other for long, but you know a lot about me and the type of person I am!" Carlos was starting to rant, not even letting Ryan speak. She was grateful for that, though, because if she got the chance to say something, she wouldn't have know what to say.

"Just tell me what's wrong so I can fix it! D-did I say something to make you angry at me? I promise, I never meant to offend you!" Carlos was almost yelling with a pleading look in his eyes as his arms flailed. He opened his mouth to continue his aimless apology, but Ryan cut him off before he could start.

"Carlos! Calm down, I'm not mad at you! You have been perfect. I just..." Her voice trailed off, and she looked down once more.

"Just what?" When she didn't respond, he lifted her chin with his fingers. His eyes bored into hers, but strangely, Ryan felt relieved. It wasn't a patronizing glare, it was a look full of concern. The brown irises resembled wood, but the stare was soft and almost scared. "Ryan, I'm never gonna do anything to hurt you. Just trust me, please," he begged.

"I know that, and I know that I can trust you. I guess..." she sighed, "I guess I just don't want to lose the bookstore. The only stable things I have had in my life are the bookstore and Alex."

"I'm not taking it from you, Ryan. I'm trying to keep it from dying out," he took her hands, rubbing the backs of them with his thumbs.

"I know that Carlos, but what happens when word gets out that you own the place? It'll be swamped with people!"

"I don't know, but I won't let that happen."

"Carlos! You are FAMOUS. You have girls stalking you and tracking your every move!"

"You would know, wouldn't you?" He raised an eyebrow, his statement lightening the mood.

"Shut up! I am not one of those girls!" She argued, playfully slugging him on the arm.

"You suuuure?" Carlos continued to tease her, loving the smile it put on her face.

"Ugh, you're so obnoxious!" Ryan groaned.

"I get that a lot from the guys."

"I figured."

Carlos simply stuck his tongue out at her causing her to laugh. They were both so wrapped up in their conversation that they forgot about the old waitress standing behind the counter until they heard her chuckle.

"What?" Ryan said defensively.

"Oh, nothing!" came Margaret's reply, the grin never leaving her face.

"Margie..." Carlos said questioningly.

She just laughed and walked off to the storage room, leaving the two co-workers staring at her back in confusion.

"What was that all about?" Ryan asked Carlos.

"Lord knows," Carlos responded, shaking his head.

"Well, I should probably get going. I promised Alex I'd get dinner and meet him at his place. Umm, do you... Do you wanna come?"

"Uh, sure, I guess. Why not?" Carlos said with a smile. Ryan was finally accepting him, and it made him happier than he'd been since they met.

"Great, I'll just text Alex and let him know. You can just follow behind so you don't get lost, but I'll need to pick up food on the way. You cool with Burger King?"

"Yepp, works for me. I'll just follow you and order myself."

"That works. I'm just gonna leave my money for the coffee, and we'll head out."

* * *

They pair pulled up to Alex's apartment building in their separate cars half an hour later, food in hand. After parking, they walked up the pathway and into the lobby together. Walking into the elevator, Ryan instinctively punched the button for the 4th floor. The ride up was quiet, but the silence was comfortable, not awkward like before.

They walked down the narrow hallway to apartment 429. Just as Carlos was about to knock, Ryan pulled a key from her backpack. Carlos watched with amusement and a raised eyebrow as she put the key in the keyhole and turned, effectively unlocking the door. When she opened the door, she looked up at Carlos. She responded to his questioning look with a shrug and walked into the small apartment. Carlos just shook his head and watched as she placed the sack of food on the small kitchen counter and began to tie her hair up.

"Alex!" she shouted, still tying the wavy brown locks of hair that hung onto her face.

"Room!" they heard from behind the closed door next to the living room. Carlos followed Ryan to the door and stepped in behind her. Alex was lounging on his bed, laptop resting on his thighs. He didn't even look up when Ryan plopped on his Queen-sized bed, but when he realized Carlos was still standing by the door, he glanced up laughed.

"Dude, c'mon, sit down. I know it's not that clean, but I promise, nothing will pop out and eat you," He beckoned him over with his hand. Carlos just laughed and fell into the chair between Alex's desk and bed.

"So, how's Margaret?" Alex asked.

"Wait, you know her, too?" Carlos was surprised at how much the three had in common. You would've thought that they would have crossed paths before at some point.

"Oh yea, I spent half of college in that diner. The other half was spent at the shop. I was almost never home!" replied Alex.

"Mmhmm," said Ryan. "You know how most people spend finals week in the library?" Carlos nodded. "Yea, well, me and Alex spent it at the diner. Margaret would stay with us all night and supply us with coffee and snacks, and whenever the diner was closed, we'd go to the shop."

"Yepp, that definitely sounds like Margaret."

"Yea... She hasn't changed in a bit. I don't even know why I stopped going there after college," Ryan said, falling back on the bed.

"Well, it's good that it's still there. I mean, it's only been, what, a year?" Alex commented. Ryan nodded her head and sat back up.

"C'mon, I want food!" she said, yanking on his arm. He chuckled and shut his laptop, sliding off over the bed. Ryan saw Carlos watching them, and she let go of Alex's arm and grabbed Carlos's.

"You, too," she said as she pulled him up. When he was on his feet, she let go and danced out of the room. Carlos looked at Alex who shrugged.

"She never lets anyone in immediately, but once she does, she's totally comfortable around them. She's just weird like that," he explained to the perplexed Latino, and the two walked out of the room to find Ryan on the couch with her legs crossed, burger in hand. Both boys laughed and joined her, one on either side of the girl.

* * *

They ate and watched TV for almost two hours until Ryan complained of boredom.

"Ugh, you guys are so useless. Come one, lets do something!"

"Are you seriously saying that Ryan? You are the laziest person I know! You whined when I asked you to hand me the remote!"

"Shut up, Alex. I feel like doing something!" Ryan said and threw a cushion at him as she stood up.

"Fine, fine, fine. Cards?" Alex suggested. Ryan nodded and opened the drawer of the end-table next to the couch, producing a set of red playing cards. She handed the cards to Alex and started walking towards his room.

"Imma go change. Figure out what y'all wanna play and deal the cards out," she said over her shoulder. The two boys moved to sit on the floor, and Carlos looked at Alex.

"She has clothes here?" he questioned. The relationship the two had perplexed him. He had the same relationship with the boys back in LA, but they practically lived together half the year.

"Yepp. She stays here a lot, and she got annoyed of me not having clean clothes for her to borrow, so she started keeping some here. I have some at her place, too. That's just how we are," explained the brunette boy. Carlos nodded, but there was one other thing that threw him off.

"Oh, and did she just say 'y'all'?" Carlos said, almost laughing.

"She's been living here for 12 years, but she's originally from Houston. Lived there for two years, then moved to Dallas. At 10 years old, she moved here."

"That makes so much sense. She has the same attitude as Logan, and whenever either of them yell, their drawls start to slip in. I guess it's true that you can take the person out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the person."

"Oh yea. She's got a pure Texan soul."

"Damn straight!" Ryan announced and walked into the living room wearing purple plaid pajama pants and a baggy grey zip-up sweatshirt over her orange t-shirt. It was a completely mismatched ensemble, but she looked perfectly comfortable and happy. She fell between the boys and took the cards from Alex.

"Still haven't dealt the cards, huh? Moron. I'll do it. What game?"

"Don't care," said Alex. Carlos just shrugged.

"Alright then, BS Interrogation, it is!" she exclaimed, and she began shuffling the cards. For what seemed like the millionth time that night, Carlos shot Alex a confused look, and he laughed as he began to explain.

"It's something we made up a few months after we met. Don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds. It should be an interesting way to initiate this new friendship."

* * *

**A/N: So, yea... That's it. I use "y'all" a lot when I talk, so I figured making her Texan would make sense. I really was born in Houston, and I did move to a suburb of Dallas at 2 years old, but I still live here, I never moved to Florida.** **Born and raised Texan, baby!** **Anyways, the game they play in the next chapter will sort of open up their pasts and then some other funny stuff. Hopefully it'll be up sooner. The story kind of starts here, but I am not exactly sure where I'm going with it. Y'all will find out what each chapter is about probably just a few hours after I do. Thank you guys for reading and thanks a bunch to ChasingMyDreams87 and all my other lovely followers and reviewers. Y'all rock, keep it up! And if you have any suggestions or criticism, I will happily accept any kind of input! It can only make me better. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Pretty short chapter, just a filler. Hopefully it's funny and not corny and stupid. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you might recognize.**

* * *

"I feel like I should be afraid..." Carlos claimed as Ryan began dealing the cards out between the three friends.

"Well, we ARE playing with Ryan, so that's always a bit frightening, but it should be fine," Alex assured.

"Alright," Ryan began, "you know how to play BS, right?" Carlos nodded in response. "Awesome. Okay, so the game is played the same way, but every time someone calls BS on you and they're right, they get to ask any question they want to. If they call it and they're wrong, you get to ask them."

"Still scared, but it sounds fun. Maybe a new game for when I'm on tour and we have some down time."

"Yepp, this game brought us closer together, and now we're inseparable!" Alex said with a huge grin. He threw his arm over Ryan's shoulder, only to have her shrug it off and smack him in the chest. "What, can I not sideways-hug my best friend?!" he asked, sounding offended.

"Take a shower, then I'll consider it. Okay, Carlos, you start on Ace," Ryan directed. Carlos sifted through his hand and placed down two cards. Alex then added three cards which he claimed to have been 2's.

"BS!" Carlos called out. Alex groaned and took the cards, waiting for Carlos's question.

"Hmm. Okay, what's your middle name?" Ryan raised an eyebrow at Carlos's question. "What?! I've only known him for like, two weeks! We'll get to the better questions soon. I'm just warmin' up!"

"Arthur," Alex mumbled.

"Aha! It's okay dude, there are a lot of worse ones out there" Carlos responded, laughing at his new friend's embarrassment.

"One 3." Ryan put down a single card. Carlos placed two cards on top. The stack grew and grew, no one daring to call BS.

"Two 10's," Carlos said confidently.

"Bullshit!" shouted Alex, hands flying up.

"Damn.." Carlos said under his breath.

"Alright, I'll go easy on you this time: Worst dating experience."

"Ah man. Okay, I took this girl out to this real nice place, and when we got the bill, I reached for my wallet, and it wasn't there. I don't know if I lost it or what, but it wasn't in my pocket," Carlos himself was laughing as he told the story.

"That story never gets old," Carlos gave Ryan a weird look for her comment. "You tell it in like, every interview!" she said defensively.

"Whatever you say," Carlos teased. Ryan rolled her eyes and nudged Alex, reminding him it was his turn.

"Two Ja-" Ryan cut him off.

"BS!" She danced in her spot, and Alex grumbled, snatching up the cards.

"What's my poison?"

"Well, I already know this, but I think Carlos deserves to know. Most embarrassing moment. And don't try and make something up, I know what it is!" Ryan threatened.

"Fuck you," Alex sighed. "Alright, in 8th grade, I was with this girl, and it was my first time making it past 2nd base. I was wearing this thread bracelet, and when I tried to unhook her bra, it got stuck on the hook..." His voice trailed off. He looked up to see Ryan busting up and Carlos trying not to laugh but failing miserably. "Yea, yea, I was a dorky little 14 year old with raging hormones, sue me!"

"Oh Lord, that is priceless!" Ryan howled, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Okay, okay, let's see. Uhh, one Queen."

The game progressed, each of the three players revealing secrets and telling stories from their teenage years. Eventually, the questions became more personal, but they were all comfortable with each other, so no one held back.

"Alright 'Los, when'd you lose it?" Ryan asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Ahh... 14?" Carlos admitted, blushing horribly.

"Damn, you lost your virginity at 14, but Alex couldn't even unhook a bra?!" Ryan started cackling.

"Okay! Enough of this for one night. Carlos, you wanna stay, it's already 3:30? You can borrow some sweats," Alex offered.

"Sure, why not? Thanks bro."

"No problem, I'll just grab some blankets, and we can crash out here. My room is way to small for the three of us." Alex stood up and walked to his bedroom to gather bedding for the three of them.

"This was fun," said Ryan.

"It was. Thanks for ah- for accepting me. I told you you could trust me," Carlos said. Ryan just reached over and hugged him. He was thrown off guard, but quickly fell into it, hugging her back.

"I always trusted you, 'Los. I'm just scared," she whispered in his ear.

"Don't be," he responded at the same volume before pulling away. She smiled at him, and just then, Alex walked in, arms full of blankets and pillows.

"Help!" he screeched after bumping into the coffee table. Ryan and Carlos laughed and took some of the comforters from him. They set them down on the couch, and Ryan moved the coffee table out from the center of the room and towards the tv. Each of the three claimed a blanket and some pillows and started to lay them out on the floor, side-by-side. Carlos entered the bathroom to change into the sweats Alex had handed him after putting down the blankets. Ryan immediately fell onto her make-shift bed in between the other two. Not a minute later, her breathing evened out and she was fast asleep.

Carlos walked back into the room and chuckled, falling into his place on her left side, and Alex plopped down to her right.

"Carlos," Alex whispered, and Carlos turned his head to look at him. "I hope you know how much you mean to us. Not just because of the bookstore. Even though she hesitated at first, I know Ry is really happy about being friends."

"Honestly, Alex, it's my pleasure. It's nice to have friends like y'all. I mean, the guys are like my brothers, but it's nice to have other people around, too," Carlos admitted, looking down at Ryan's sleeping form. When he looked back up at Alex, he could see him watching him with a grin.

"What?" Carlos questioned.

"Nothing," Alex answered, shaking his head as he stood to turn off the lights, leaving the kitchen lights on. He slid back into bed next to Ryan and watched Carlos suint at him then shake his head and crawl under the covers.

"Whatever you say, man. G'night," Carlos said sleepily.

"Night, dude." The three new friends fell asleep next to each other, perfectly content.

* * *

**A/N: Hopefully that was enjoyable. The story Alex told about getting his bracelet stuck on the girl's bra was actually something that happened to my friend. I still give him crap about that. Anyways, if y'all have any ideas or anything, let me know! This is kind of an "anything goes" type of story. ****I probably won't update daily, but there will be anywhere between 1-4 updates a week. maybe if I am bored there will be more, but I can't guarantee it. Either way, follow and review if you liked it! Any kind of input is helpful!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: You have every right to hate me. I'm sorry! Too much going on. But here is chapter 6, I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

The next morning, Ryan and Carlos woke up to Alex's alarm going off in his room at 6:45. Carlos sat up and rubbed his face with both hands, whereas Ryan just groaned and buried her face in her pillow. She sighed and started kicking the still snoring Alex beside her.

"The fuck, dude?" he mumbled, barely awake.

"Get your ass up and turn off the alarm!" Ryan responded and proceeded to throw her extra pillow at him. The grumbling response she received was indistinct, sounding almost like he was speaking through water. Ryan groaned once more and started to beat him with her pillow. Muffled sounds of protest came from Alex, but he still didn't get up. The fact that the alarm clock was still going off seemed to have been forgotten, but Ryan was determined to get Alex out of bed. Carlos was watching the exchange with a sleepy smirk, not wanting to interrupt Ryan's attack on her best friend. She looked up and glared at Carlos.

"You could help, you know!" Carlos just shrugged, got up, and walked to Alex's room to shut of the blaring clock. He returned and fell onto the couch, hearing Ryan cry out in exasperation.

"You are so annoying!" She threw down the pillow and stomped off to the kitchen. For a second, Carlos was scared, but when Alex started laughing from under his blanket, Carlos relaxed and couldn't help but join his laughter.

"Screw you both," Ryan mumbled, loud enough for the boys in the living room to hear. Carlos chuckled and rose from the couch, penguin-walking to the kitchen. He leaned against the counter and watched as Ryan sleepily poured three cups of coffee from the brewer. She handed him one and took a sip from her own, leaving Alex's on the counter.

"Thanks," Carlos said, voice deep and raspy from sleeping. He took a small sip and closed his eyes, relishing in the taste of the piping hot brew.

"You sleep okay?" Ryan asked him, continuing to take small doses of coffee.

"Mmhmm, you?"

"Eh, I guess. Alex moves a lot, but you get used to it," she said while rolling her eyes. Carlos laughed as the two walked back into the living room where Alex was propped up in his bed, leaning back on his arms. He looked up and pouted.

"Coffee?" he asked in an almost innocent voice. Ryan smiled smugly, and Alex continued pouting until she finally broke.

"Yours is in the kitchen, freak," Ryan said, laughing at the 22 year old man's pout. Alex hollered and ran into the kitchen like a 4 year old. Carlos was about to question his actions, but Ryan just shook her head in a "don't even ask" manner. He just sighed with a lazy grin and fell onto the couch, Ryan landing next to him. They finished their coffee as a comfortable silence fell over the apartment. Carlos set his empty cup on the end-table, Ryan set hers on the coffee table. Carlos looked up at her and opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by a loud crash coming from the kitchen. Ryan rolled her eyes and stood up, grabbing Carlos's arm and dragging him with her.

"What did you kill?" she said in an accusatory tone.

"Nothing! I swear, I just dropped a tray!"

"Was the tray empty?" When she didn't get a response, she pushed on. "Alex..." He stepped to the side revealing a tray, three plastic cups, and some spilled lemonade. Ryan sighed before laughing tiredly and walking out of the kitchen, leaving the two boys to clean up the mess. Alex looked up at Carlos pleadingly, but Carlos just shook his head, smirked, and followed Ryan out.

* * *

After cleaning up the mess, Alex returned to the living room and found Ryan and Carlos laughing about something. As he got closer he saw his and Ryan's photo album on Carlos's lap. His eyes widened when he saw the picture from his 12th birthday of him stuck on a tree branch. Ryan had dared him to climb a large old oak tree, and he went through with it, but he hadn't thought of coming back down. He was terrified, and the picture showed him clinging to the branch and almost crying. He snatched up the album, and held it to his chest, glaring furiously at Ryan. She was trying not to laugh, but she couldn't help but burst after seeing Alex's angry expression. Carlos, on the other hand, wasn't trying to disguise his amusement at all. He had his head thrown back and was clapping loudly. Ryan caught a glimpse of Carlos and once again started howling with laughter.

"You look- you look like a retarded seal!" she exclaimed between laughs, gasping for breath. Alex looked at Carlos and also began to laugh.

"You guys suck!" was Carlos's weak response, gasping and continuing to laugh.

"Hey, you laughed at my expense, now it's my turn!" Alex fought back as the laughter in the room began to subside.

"Whatever, man," Carlos stuck out his tongue childishly, "that's still a hilarious picture. You were twelve and couldn't climb down a tree? That's worse than the bra thing!"

"Shut up! That tree was hard to climb!"

"That was Capstone Park, right? The huge oak by the pond with the wooden bench?" Ryan nodded and Alex looked astonished. "Dude, I used to climb that thing all the time! I remember getting to the top and looking out over the pond. I never wanted to leave," Carlos sighed, remembering the memories.

"We should go," Ryan said suddenly.

"What?" Carlos asked. "Are you serious? I haven't been there since before I moved out to LA!"

"Why not? I mean, it's a mile away, and the bookstore is closed until opening day next dweek. We have a free day," Ryan said brightly. Carlos looked happier than she'd ever seen him, and the childish glow radiating from his face made her smile. "Plus, it's a Wednesday morning, there shouldn't be too many people." Carlos was almost jumping at the thought of going back to his childhood park.

"We'll just change, and we can head out," said Alex as he set down the photo album he had been holding. "We can run around like crazy 10 year olds again!"

* * *

After getting dressed and driving a short distance in Carlos's car, the three adults arrived at the park. Carlos caught one glimpse of the shining water of the pond and took off running, leaving Alex and Ryan to chase after him. When they reached the pond, Carlos was already sitting on the wooden bench under the oak tree from Alex's picture. He was panting lightly from running, but he was so focused on the water that neither Alex nor Ryan wanted to interrupt the silence and ruin Carlos's moment.

They quietly walked up to the tree, standing behind the bench and taking in the memories from their childhoods. Their thoughts were broken by a little girl running and shouting Carlos's name. She looked about 4, too young to be attending school, but old enough to know who Carlos was. Carlos turned when he heard his name and chuckled when he saw the little girl wobble across the grass to the bench, and a man he assumed was her father running behind her. Not wanting to disappoint a fan, he opened his arms just in time for her to attack him in a hug.

"I am so sorry," was all the father managed to say, trying to pry his daughter off of Carlos's arm. Carlos just laughed.

"Don't worry about it," he waved his hand dismissively then looked down. "What's your name?"

"Cassie," said the little girl with a baby-toothed smile after releasing her surprisingly strong grip on the pop star. Her hair was dark blonde and a cross between curly and wavy, and her eyes were vibrant green. She reminded Carlos of Kendall, which made him laugh. He looked back at Ryan and Alex who were smiling and then back at the girl who had introduced herself as Cassie.

"How pretty! How old are you?" Carlos continued to converse with Cassie. She proudly held up 4 fingers, and Carlos laughed.

"Wow, 4 years old? No way!" He teased her playfully, and she giggled, nodding her head furiously. Carlos continued to joke around with her for a while, and at one point, they engaged in a tickle war. Cassie's father was shaking his head and smiling, shocked that Carlos was spending so much time playing with a 4 year old girl. Alex was laughing, still standing behind the bench with Ryan who was smiling softly.

As Ryan watched Carlos play with Cassie, Alex noticed a small gleam in her eye that he'd never seen before. There was a hidden emotion he had never seen Ryan express lying in her facial expression. Alex shook his head, smiling at his friend's self-ignorance and looked at Carlos who was hugging Cassie for a picture. He kissed her head, and she ran to her dad, grabbing his hand and walking off. She turned sideways and waved at Carlos, and he waved back enthusiastically. After the father and daughter disappeared, Carlos sighed and turned to face his friends. He smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry," he said, blushing lightly.

"No problem, dude. You just made her day. You could tell her dad was kind of surprised that you were being so nice about it," Alex responded. Carlos nodded and glanced at Ryan who was still just smiling. He cleared his throat and looked back at Alex.

"So, how about I show you how to seriously climb a tree?"

* * *

**A/N: Yepp. That's it. Hopefully y'all are still enjoying the story. Please review/follow. Constructive criticism can only help me! By the way, I read the past couple chapters, and seriously, WHY DIDN'T ANYONE MENTION ANY OF MY GRAMMATICAL ERRORS?! C'mon guys, help me out!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay, so it seems that daily updates aren't possible, so I guess I'm going with weekly. Thank you to everyone who reviewed/followed this story, it means a lot.**

**Guest reviewer: You are so sweet, thank you! I'm really glad you're enjoying it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable.**

* * *

Ryan and Alex stood beneath the tree as Carlos prepared to climb. Alex shook his head and chuckled.

"You sure you can still do it? You ARE an LA beach boy now," he said teasingly, but he was a bit curious as to whether or not Carlos would make it to the top and back down. The Latino turned and looked Alex in the eye with a smirk.

"When you're on a kid's show, you have to do some crazy-ass stunts. I can handle climbing a tree," he replied confidently. Rubbing his hands together, he grasped a branch and pulled up, bringing his foot up and onto a notch in the wood. He grabbed another branch and pushed off. He continued the pattern, scooting higher and higher while Ryan and Alex watched. Ryan was laughing at Alex's display of confusion and disbelief.

Carlos reached the thickest branch and crawled across it, sitting on the middle and swinging his legs. He stared down at his friends and playfully stuck his tongue out at Alex. Ryan shook her head and laughed, and Alex grumbled. Scowling, he walked up to the tree and grabbed it the same way Carlos had only minutes before, but he fumbled around, not able to find a spot that felt right. Carlos and Ryan were still laughing, and Alex groaned, turning to face Ryan.

"Oh please, like you could climb a tree?!" Alex exclaimed, hands flailing.

"Is that a challenge? 'Cause you know damn well that I'm not a priss. I could climb that thing before you even got off the ground!" Ryan retorted. Alex just gestured towards the tree, and Ryan shrugged. She grabbed a branch and pulled, hoisting herself up on the same notch Carlos had used. She groped her way up the tree and moved onto the branch next to Carlos and slung her arm around his shoulders.

"Unbelievable!" Alex screamed from his spot on the ground. He grabbed the trunk of the tree with a determined face, and he yanked himself up. Carlos and Ryan laughed, cheering him on as if he was climbing a mountain. Straining his muscles, he continued pulling, panting when he reached the top. He sat on a branch by Carlos and Ryan's, maintaining a vice grip on the trunk.

"Well, you made it to the top, but can you make it back down?" Ryan challenged. Alex's eyes went wide, and he groaned.

"Crap..." was all that came out of his mouth. Carlos laughed, and Ryan smirked at her less-than-manly best friend.

"Ten and a half years later, and you're still scared," Ryan clicked her tongue in false disappointment, and Carlos just laughed harder. Ryan grabbed Carlos's arm for support as she leaned over to reach her phone in her back pocket. She pulled it out and went to the camera, snapping several pictures of Alex hugging the trunk of the tree.

"This'll make a beautiful before-and-after picture. Remind me to show this to your future wife," Ryan teased. Alex just glared at her, too scared to let go of the tree to swipe at her. From their branch, Carlos and Ryan were watching Alex's amusement. They leaned on each other and laughed, Carlos holding Ryan's arm for support. Completely immersed in making fun of Alex, they didn't even notice the smirk he was wearing until they finally calmed down.

"What?!" Carlos said, still trying to regain his breathing. "Why are looking at us like that? We're not the ones hugging a tree!" Alex just shook his head, still donning that taunting smirk.

"Why does everyone keep doing that?!" Ryan nearly shouted, quite exasperated.

"Forget about it. Now, HELP ME GET DOWN FROM HERE!" Alex screeched, causing Carlos to almost fall from laughing so hard. Ryan shook her head and started climbing down the tree, almost looking graceful. Carlos regained his composure and followed behind once he heard her jump onto the grassy ground below them. He worked his way down the tree and hopped off next to Ryan. The two looked up to see a look of sheer terror on their friend's face.

"Alex, just come down the same way you went up," Carlos advised. "Use the space where the trunk splits as the first step and scoot the rest of the way down."

"Easy for you to say, you're a Latin ninja!" He screamed in response. Ryan and Carlos shared confused looks at the comment.

"Don't know how to respond to that... Either way, just quit whining and get down from there," Carlos says. Alex nervously shifts his feet around and grips the tree even tighter. Shaking, he moves down, inch by inch, until he finally reaches the bottom. He falls to the ground, looking happier and more relieved than ever before.

"Oh, sweet ground!"

"Wimp," Ryan stated, yanking her friend up and off of the grassy floor. Alex growled at her, reaching to smack her head, but she caught his arm and twisted it before he could reach her.

"Ow ow ow, pain!" Carlos laughed at Alex's response. He received a pained glare, and when Alex's arm was released, he starting running towards Carlos. Carlos yelped and ran, sensing the anger in Alex's expression. Ryan sighed and smacked her forehead.

"Morons!"

* * *

The trio was sitting on a bench, still panting from running. By the time Alex had caught Carlos, he was too out of breath to yell or hit, but Ryan didn't pass up the opportunity to smack both of them upside the head. She didn't mind climbing trees, but she hated running. She gave them a stern lecture between gasps for air, but eventually, they all just fell onto a bench.

"You know... I hate... Running!" Ryan yelled weakly at Alex. He shrunk, leaning towards Carlos. He knew that even a tired Ryan was dangerous. Carlos chuckled breathily, shoving Alex off his shoulder. They were slowly regaining their breathing, and mutually decided to leave.

Alex sat behind the passenger's seat, pouting about being confined to the back seat. He hadn't even gotten to the car, but Ryan was already riding shotgun, and Carlos was driving.

"Dude, have you always been such a baby? Can't climb a tree, can't unhook a bra, can't handle sitting in the back. Yeah!" Carlos teased him, looking in the rear-view mirror to see his friend's angry expression.

"You suck," Alex grumbled, angrily opening the door as they pulled up to his apartment. He stepped out, shutting the door dramatically, but not necessarily angrily.

"Wanna get out here, or should I drop you off at home?" Carlos asked Ryan as he turned to face her.

"Home's fine. Thanks." Carlos nodded and put the car in reverse, pulling out of the parking space. They made small talk during the drive, and she gave him the directions to her apartment throughout their conversation.

"So, how we're you able to get this much time off from work?" Ryan asked.

"We'll, we had a week off between shooting and rehearsing for the tour. I was able to work out a way for me to rehearse the songs with them over Skype, and I've been watching the dance rehearsals. It's been interesting, but it works."

"When do you go back?"

"Well," he sighed ran his fingers through his hair, keeping his left hand on the wheel, "I'm leaving right after the re-opening. I don't know how in hell I got this much time off, or even how I was able to work out rehearsing over Skype. I'll probably come back around once a month, but I'm gonna be gone for a while when we're touring."

Ryan nodded, feeling a bit sad. She knew he had to go back, and she knew he would be back soon, but they'd become so close. He was her first real friend since Alex, and she wasn't sure how she'd handle rarely seeing him. The last minute of the ride was silent as they reached Ryan's apartment.

"Thanks, Carlos," Ryan said, faking a smile and trying not to sound upset as she opened the car door.

"No problem," Carlos responded before grabbing Ryan's hand. "Thanks for everything, Ryan. Really. It's nice having some friends back home. Last night was a lot of fun, and today was great." Ryan nodded, giving his hand a squeeze. She gave him a real smile and stepped out of the car, closing the door behind her. Carlos watched her walk away and sighed, carding his fingers through his hair. His hand moved down and rubbed at the back of his head. He wasn't sure why, but he was already dreading returning to LA. He missed California, but something told him he'd miss Florida even more.

* * *

**A/N: So, what did y'all think? Please, please, please give me some feedback or ideas. I'm craving some input, because honestly, I don't know exactly where I'm going with this. I know what I want to happen, but give me some ideas about how I can have the story play out. Constructive criticism never hurts! **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I know, I know, I haven't updated in a while. I'm sorry, I've had a lot going on. This chapter is just a filler, but I hope yosee joy it anyways! **

**Guest reviewer: Thanks! Glad you're a enjoying it. **

**By the way, when Carlos and Alex are texting, Alex's messages italicized, and Carlos's are bold.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything recognizable.**

* * *

Carlos put on his sunglasses and pulled up the hood of his sweatshirt, not in the mood to be noticed. He stepped out of his car, locked it, and trudged across the hotel parking lot. Entering through the revolving door, he made his way to the elevator and up to his room on the seventh floor. His father pleaded for Carlos to stay with him, but Carlos insisted on a hotel.

He whipped off his sunglasses and tossed them, along with his keys, onto the small oak-wood desk. Flopping onto the queen-sized bed, he sighed. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and his laptop off of the floor. He texted Kendall to get on Skype, signing on on his laptop. While he was waiting, he minimized the Skype window and pulled up his Twitter, smiling at his fans' messages until he heard the familiar Skype ringtone. The alert popped up, and he clicked the accept button. It took a second to load, but he soon saw Kendall and James on the screen.

"'Los! What's up?" James shouted enthusiastically. Carlos chuckled at his friend, missing them more and more.

"Nothing much, the shop is pretty much ready. We reopen in a few days," Carlos sad, reciwving a nod from Kendall and James. "Where's Logan?"

"He went to get lunch for us. How has Florida been treating you?" Kendall asked.

"Feels the same as before. I've been everywhere I used to go, and nothing has changed. I've made a couple friends," Carlos said in response. Their conversation continued, Logan showing up halfway through. After about 45 minutes, the boys said their goodbyes and logged off.

Carlos sighed, confused. He missed his best friends, but he didn't want to leave. He got out of bed and walked to the small window next to the bed, looking out over his hometown. He loved LA, but it would never replace Weston.

* * *

Alex walked into his apartment building, waving to his neighbors hanging around in the lobby, and walked to the elevator. He went up to the fourth floor and down the hall to his apartment, throwing the door open and kicking off his shoes. He shut the door and looked around, eyes falling on the bedding on the living room floor. He laughed softly to himself as he walked into his kitchen, remembering the events that had occurred the previous day.

After drinking a glass of water, he walked into his room, still thinking about the new-found friendship. His eyes fell on his Hooked on Books name tag laying on his desk, and he smiled. Carlos was a savior in more ways than one. He saved the bookstore, Alex and Ryan's jobs, and he had wormed his way into their hearts so quickly.

Carlos seemed to be the perfect addition to their lives, but there was one thing that had been nagging at Alex from the back of his mind all night: the bookstore. Carlos had pure intentions, but his efforts to hide the facts would eventually be crushed. Some paparazzi or crazy fan would find out and spill about the bookstore. It couldn't stay a secret forever.

Alex sighed and dropped onto his bed tiredly, not wanting to think about the possible outcomes of the situation. He glanced at his clock and saw that it was already 9:35 PM. Deciding that he was too tired to eat, he turned onto his side and pulled the covers over himself, drifting off almost immediately.

* * *

Carlos woke up at 8:15 the next morning, sitting in the desk chair, confused as to when he even fell asleep. The previous night, he had been looking outside the window for a while before taking his laptop and sitting down at the desk, aimlessly surfing the Internet. He must've drifted off at some point, too tired to realize.

He stood up from the chair, wincing at the stiffness of his neck and the pain shooting down his spine. He popped his neck and limped to the restroom to freshen up. He had to go to the shop to check up on the last details of the reopening. The reopening was set for that Friday, only three days later. Afterward, Carlos would be returning to LA.

After he had changed, he grabbed his keys, wallet, and the backpack that carried all the paperwork. He walked out of the hotel room and rode down the elevator, walking quickly out the main door. Once he was in his car, he checked his phone and found that he had a text from Alex.

_Ryan's sick and can't come in today. I'll still be there on time._

Carlos typed his reply, letting Alex know that it was fine and asking if they should visit Ryan after they were done at the store. After sending it, he pulled out of the parking lot and drove three miles to the shop. He heard his phone vibrate just as he was turning into the parking lot. When he parked outside of Hooked on Books, he read Alex's reply and laughed.

_Visit Ryan when she's sick?! Fuck no. She turns into Godzilla if someone sees her when she's sick, dude. _

**Alright, alright. I'll just text her later or something. Just got here, you on your way?**

_2 minutes._

He climbed out of his car and grabbed his bag from the back seat. When he unlocked and opened the door to the store, he saw Alex pull up in an old yellow Chevy truck. Carlos walked inside and flipped on the main power switch behind the counter. Alex soon entered and found Carlos standing at the counter, already engrossed in paperwork.

"Hey," Alex said simply.

"Hey man," Carlos responded, slightly distracted by his work.

"So, anything you need me to do?" Alex asked, knowing that there was still a bit of organization left.

"Yea, um, could you just check the inventory for the music section? Just N-Z." Alex nodded and walked around to behind the counter. He picked up the clipboard for the N-Z Music and strolled over towards the back of the store where the CDs were stocked.

He looked through the list and checked the stock of each album listed. When he had first started coming to the store, the thing that struck him the most was the variety. Aside from every type of book imaginable, they had music from every genre. From mainstream pop to folk, there was something there for everyone.

He remembered back to when he and Ryan would sit in the back of the store and listen to music from random albums they had never heard of. They would each pick an album that looked interesting, and they'd listen to it on the machine that was in the back of the store for sampling. They found some of their favorite artists through their method, and throughout their lives, they found music that seemed to fit perfectly. There was always something for each stage they had gone through, and those exact albums were still in stock.

Alex was almost finished when Carlos called his name. He turned around to see Carlos, backpack slung over his shoulder, walking toward him. He finished counting the last album on the list and started walking to Carlos, meeting him in the middle of the store.

"You done with the paperwork?" Alex asked.

"Mmhmm. We're officially ready for Friday," Carlos replied proudly, and Alex nodded in response, smiling. "Wanna grab some lunch? We could hang out at my hotel," Carlos said.

"Sure, let me just put the list back." Alex quickly ducked behind the counter and hung the clipboard on its hook then stepped back out and joined Carlos. The duo walked out the door and into their respective cars. Alex waited for Carlos to pull out and followed behind him.

* * *

Alex and Carlos had arrived at the hotel just a few minutes later. Once they had gotten to his room, Carlos sat criss-cross his bed, and Alex plopped down on the chair next to him. A comfortable silence fell over the room as the two sat, lost in their own thoughts.

"So, you leave the day after the reopening?" Alex asked, breaking the silence. Carlos sighed and nodded, falling backwards onto his back, covering his face with his hands.

"I really don't want to leave, but I've been gone almost three weeks. Don't even ask how I swung that," he said through his fingers.

"Well, now you have an excuse to come back more often," Alex offered.

"True. I'll definitely try and make monthly visits when we're not touring," Carlos responded before sitting back up and searching for the TV remote. He found it laying under his blanket and turned on the TV, tossing the remote to Alex. Alex just shrugged and put on the local news station.

"That's good. So, have you run into any paparazzi or fans?" Alex asked, genuinely curious. The only encounter Carlos had had while he was with Ryan and Alex was when he was spotted by the little girl at the park.

"Eh, a couple. Mostly just fans wanting a picture or autograph. It has been an unusually easy trip," Carlos responded. It wasn't the first time he had noticed how quiet it had been. It gave him a slightly uneasy feeling that he hadn't had any major encounters, but he had just brushed it off.

Neither of the two said anything for a while, the only sound coming from the TV. Suddenly, both of their phones rang, showing that they had texts from Ryan. The messages were the same: a link to some TMZ article. Alex raised his eyebrow and clicked on the link, and Carlos just closed his phone, figuring that he'd just see it on Alex's. Once Alex's phone loaded the page, he skimmed over it, eyes widening when he read the headline. Carlos's eyebrows shot up in confusion and concern at Alex's response to whatever had been on the screen. He got off of the bed and looked at the phone screen over Alex's shoulder. Once he saw the page, he winced, slapping his hand over his face, a single word slipping past his lips.

"Shit."

* * *

**A/N: Hopefully that wasn't horrible. Let me know what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait! Enjoy this next chapter. thank you to all the readers and reviewers, y'all rock! Special thanks to ChasingMyDreams87, love you so much, dude!**

* * *

Alex read the article aloud to Carlos who was crouched behind him, head in his hands.

"Carlos Pena has been sighted around his small hometown of Weston, Florida, numerous times in the past few weeks, but most often walking in and out of a temporarily closed bookstore, Hooked on Books, in the old-town area. For the past two weeks, the reason for his almost daily visits has been unknown, but a source that spoke to our head journalist, Jezebel Aurora, confirmed just this morning that Carlos Pena is the new owner of Hooked on Books. Details of this new ownership deal are yet to be announced. Below is a picture of Carlos walking out of the shop just this morning with a man who appears to be an employee, signaled by his name tag. The name has appeared to be unreadable, and he is yet to be identified."

Alex closes his eyes, muttering a curse under his breath. He hears Carlos's muffled groan coming from behind him and turns around to face his friend. Carlos rubbed his hands over his face before dropping them, sighing as he stares at his lap, shaking his head.

"Of course this happened. It just had to, didn't it?" Alex can tell it's a rhetorical question, but still responds.

"Well, it happened. Now what?" Alex questioned, genuinely concerned. Carlos had seemed off all day, but reading the article made it even worse.

"I don't know. I guess I should probably release a statement about it, I just don't know what to say," Carlos said tiredly. A second later, he groaned in realization. "Shit, Ryan is probably so pissed off!" He jumped to his feet and frantically looked around for his keys, slipping on his hoodie and sunglasses.

"We can deal with her after-" Alex started before Carlos cut him off.

"We need to go see her now! The media can wait, I don't owe them anything at all. They're lucky they'll be getting anything!" Carlos exclaimed, quite obviously freaking out as he scrambled to get his stuff together and rush out the door. Alex raised his hands in surrender, following his flustered friend out of the hotel room.

* * *

The car ride was tense and relatively silent other than the screech of the tires and purring of the engine. Carlos kept his eyes focused on the road, paying no mind to Alex's frequent worried glances. He barely noticed his friend; he was too anxious to think about anything but Ryan. He had confidently promised her he'd handle any publicity issues, but once the word was out about the bookstore, he had no idea what to do. He didn't even know how TMZ found out about his ownership, but he knew that whenever he found their "source" he wouldn't be able to refrain from exploding.

Alex watched Carlos's emotionless expression. He watched as Carlos wrung his hands tightly around the steering wheel for the entirety of the ride. For the short time he'd known Carlos, he had always seen him as a fun, out-going, open-book type of guy. Seeing him silent and stressed filled Alex with worry. The second he saw the headline of the article, he knew their day was going downhill, and he expected Carlos to start ranting about paparazzi. He was surprised when Carlos started worrying about Ryan. It was almost amusing to Alex; Ryan and Carlos seemed to have a bond that they hadn't noticed yet. Everyone could see it except for them. He sighed and shifted his gaze out the window.

The two men finally pulled up to Ryan's apartment complex, bracing themselves. Alex patted Carlos on the back before leading him to the apartment. Once they got to the door, Alex produced a key from his keychain and unlocked the door.

"Ry?" he called out.

"What?!" Alex and Carlos heard from the main bedroom. She sounded sick, annoyed, and frustrated. Alex sighed and walked towards the room before noticing Carlos wasn't moving. He looked at Carlos and saw a scared and helpless expression gracing his face as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Alex sighed once more, walking back to the Latino, and dragging him into the room by the arm. Ryan was sitting up in her bed, laptop on her lap, but her eyes were glaring at her friends staring in the doorway. Alex moved forward and sat on her bed by her covered feet, patting them softly from over her blanket.

"Look, Ryan, I know you're mad, but-" Ryan cut Alex off, knowing he was about to start ranting.

"Yes, I'm mad. I'm pissed. But I'm not gonna yell for this, I just wanna find out who this damn 'source' is," Ryan stated in a calm, even tone. Even though she was stuffy from being sick, she sounded cold and intimidating. Alex knew that when Ryan used that tone, her victim should be terrified.

"We'll find out somehow. First, I think we should deal with the public end of it," Alex responded, trying to word it in a way that wouldn't aggravate Ryan even more. She seemed satisfied with his response and turned toward Carlos who was still standing in the doorway. He was staring at the floor, hands stuffed into his front pockets.

"Carlos?" Ryan asked plainly. When he looked up, he looked broken. He looked everywhere except for at Ryan. "L-Los?" Ryan stuttered in a gentler voice filled with worry. His eyes met hers, and she saw tears filling them to the brim. They locked gazes for a split second before Carlos suddenly turned and ran from the apartment.

* * *

After fleeing from Ryan's apartment, Carlos found himself parked outside of the diner. Everything between leaving the apartment and arriving at the diner was a blur. He sped off without thinking of a destination, but somehow, he ended up there.

He sighed and threw his head back against the headrest. He wrung his hands around the leather steering wheel before letting them fall. Taking a deep breath, he turned off his car and climbed out. He walked up and into the diner, thankful for the emptiness. He fell into a stool at the bar, head in his hands.

"Carlos? Is that you?" Margaret asked as she stepped out of the storage closet. Carlos lifted his head, and Margaret gasped at seeing heavy tears streaming down his face.

"Hon, what's the matter?" she exclaimed as she ran to his side. He said nothing, just extended his arms. Margaret engulfed him in a hug, allowing him to bury his head in her neck. She whispered softly, rubbing his back in an attempt to comfort the grief-stricken boy, feeling the moisture of his tears on her shoulder.

"What's goin' on? Talk to me, baby," Margaret said as she pulled away, grabbing Carlos's face with both hands. He looked up at her, broken and scared. Drawing in a deep breath, he began speaking.

"Margie, th-they found out about the bookstore! Somehow, TMZ f-found out about it, and there's an article online. Someone told them that I-I-I'm the owner. Everyone knows that I own the place, and n-now Ryan is upset and-"

"Slow down!" Margaret requested in a soft voice. "Lemme get you something. Keep talking, but slow down and start at the top."

Carlos explained the situation to her through tears. She nodded as she listened to him speak, preparing two tall mugs of hot chocolate for the both of them. The diner reached its closing time halfway through the conversation, but neither payed any mind to it. Carlos finally stopped crying, but continued speaking as he sipped his hot chocolate.

"I'm honestly not that upset about the paparazzi," he stated, voice thick. Margaret crooked her eyebrow, listening as Carlos continued. "I'm really mad at myself for letting it happen. Margie, Ryan's gonna hate me!" His cracked at the end of his sentence.

"Carlos, I've known Ryan for years. She's got a strong personality and opinions, and if she has let you into her heart, you must mean a lot to her. She isn't going to hate you for anything except maybe taking off without an explanation," Margaret responded. Carlos nodded and stood up to give her a hug. She hugged him tight, rubbing his back.

He reached for his wallet, but Margaret swatted his hand, making it clear that he wasn't going to pay for the hot chocolate. That made Carlos laugh, and he gave one last hug to the old lady before walking out the door.

* * *

**A/N: School's out in there weeks, so hopefully these bi-weekly updates will stop, and I can update more often. Follow/favorite/review, please!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'M SORRY, DON'T KILL ME! It was finals week last week, so I had to study. Friday I was busy celebrating the fact that SCHOOL IS OUT!:D Then I had to visit my crazy-ass aunt who's in town, and then fanfiction wouldn't let me log in until about five minutes ago. It has been a crazy week, so please forgive me. Now that I'm on summer break, I should be updating more often. No promises, though. Anyways, I'll shut up now. Enjoy!**

* * *

Carlos was about to knock on the door to Ryan's apartment when the door swung open, revealing a frantic looking Alex. Carlos's hand paused mid-knock, then fell to his side with a soft sigh. The expression on Alex's face changed from worried to surprised to relieved, then finally, angry.

"Get your stupid ass inside, Carlos," Alex growled, grabbing for the Latino's arm and dragging him in. He didn't let go until they had made it to the kitchen where Ryan was pacing worriedly. She looked up, her reaction the same as her friend's. When she reached the upset stage of emotion, she took two large steps forward and thwacked Carlos on the back of the head.

"Douche," she accused. "Don't you ever walk out like that again. Ugh, fucktard!" She groaned the last part to herself, but loud enough for the other two to hear. Alex snickered, and Carlos glared at him. Alex shrugged, still laughing slightly.

"Your fault, bro." Carlos just rolled his eyes at Alex's obvious statement. Everything was Carlos's fault. He knew that, and he didn't need people reminding him, even if it was a joke. He reached out for the now angrily pacing Ryan whose head snapped up immediately. She grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, and he yelped.

"Owie, owie, OW!" he shouted, Ryan pulling his arm more and more with each complaint.

"Never do that to me again," Ryan said through gritted teeth. "Ever." She released his arm when he nodded, and he sighed in relief, rubbing his probably bruised skin. She stepped back, but she kept her stare locked on his, anger boiling behind her eyes. There was something else there, though. Carlos saw a hint of sadness and desperation. He nodded once again to reassure her of his promise, to which she sighed in response and turned back toward her room.

Alex flopped down on the couch and blew a raspberry, running his fingers through his hair. Carlos's eyes darted back and forth from Alex to Ryan's now closed door a few times. He rubbed the back of his neck, took a deep breath, and strutted to Ryan's door. He knocked as he opened the door, not allowing much of a warning. Carlos was momentarily confused at what he saw.

Ryan was laying on her back hands over her face, quite obviously sniffling. Carlos wasn't sure if it was because of her cold or because of him, but regardless, he ran to her side. When she noticed him walking toward her, she peeked through her fingers and groaned.

"Go. Away." Her stern order was muffled and weakened by her stuffy nose. Carlos chuckled when he heard her full-hearted attempt at intimidation and fell down next to her, ignoring her complaints. He turned on his side, grinning when she moved a hand to smack his chest. "Get ouuut!" she whined. He brought her hands down from her face, looking straight into her eyes.

"Were you crying?" he whispered, worried by the sniffles he had heard.

"Fuck no! I'm sick! Retard." Carlos had to laugh at her tough-girl attitude. It was comforting to him that she hadn't been driven to tears by his temporary disappearance, but he felt an odd pang of disappointment. He fell back onto his back and rested his hands on his stomach.

"But you were worried, right?" he questioned, turning just his head to look at Ryan, secretly hoping that she had been.

"No shit, Sherlock. I didn't know what to think! You just left, and it was clear that you were on the brink of tears," came her response. She turned her head to meet his eyes and noticed a soft glint in them. He still looked worried, but there was a tiny shred of excitement from her words, slightly hidden in his chocolate brown irises. She also noticed a blush brush over his tan cheeks, barely noticeable against the caramel colored skin.

"Right... Um, that- that was just..." His voice trailed off and he turned his head away, suddenly taking interest in the ceiling.

"Was just...?" Ryan said, back to her teasing and poking fun. The response she received was a stutter and a slap on the arm. She chuckled and sat up, swinging her legs off of the bead. "Whatever. I'm too stuffed up to yell, and frankly I have too much of a headache to even be angry," she said as she pulled him off of the bed by the arm. "C'mon, tough guy. I've got nothing much to say, but the other idiot probably has a few choice words."

* * *

After a strict talking-to from a surprisingly intimidating Alex, Carlos was convinced to never take off again. Alex seemed satisfied once a half-hour had passed and suggested for the three to move on to figure out the public end of the situation.

"Well, there's really nothing we can do about TMZ; they'll never back out from an opportunity to hurt someone. The story is already out, we can't get it back," Carlos informed him friends with a sigh. Alex groaned at what he heard.

"Now what do we do? If the word is out, it's out."

"Frankly, I'm kind of over the fact that it got out," Ryan said, surprising the two men sitting in front of her. "But that doesn't mean I'm not angry. When I find their so called 'source' there will be hell to pay." Normally, this kind of comment would've scared the guys, but they both grinned. They knew from past experiences that an angry Ryan plots the best. Carlos spoke up first.

"Is there anyone y'all have pissed off that might want to hurt you or something?" he questioned.

"Not really. At least not recently; we're kind of reserved if you haven't noticed," Ryan claimed flatly.

"Alright, alright, don't get sassy," Carlos mumbled. Ryan obviously heard him and responded by slapping the back of his head. "Ouch. Jesus Christ, would you stop that?!" he complained, smacking her on the arm. She punched his shoulder in response, and the two suddenly became engaged in a second-grade type slap fight. Alex busted out laughing at the two's behavior.

"What?!" Carlos shouted before smacking Alex on the head.

"Okay, no way am I getting into this," Alex said, still laughing. "Cut it out, we have stuff to figure out." Ryan grumbled but complied, sitting back on the couch, crossing her arms.

"Fine. But I'm starving, can we get something to eat?" She pouted, knowing neither of the guys could resist.

"But you're sick, surely you don't want to go out-" Alex tried, but Carlos cut him off.

"Cut the crap, I'll pay," the Latino said, rolling his eyes when his friends hollered in excitement. "Diner?" He suggested. He received two nods in response. The three stood up and gathered their things, walking out the door of the apartment.

* * *

The three had driven to the diner in Carlos's car, Alex once again pouting in the back seat. When they arrived, they were immediately greeted by Margaret and her signature bone-crushing hug, even Carlos who had been there just hours before. They sat down at a booth in the back, not wanting to be noticed even though Carlos had his hood up and glasses on. Margaret, who already knew of the situation from her encounter with Carlos, sat with them after bringing them their food.

"So," Alex began, not bothering to wipe the ketchup from his face, "how do we find out who the 'source' is?"

"You got me there. It could be anyone. They're most likely connected to me since they never mentioned Ryan, and you were 'unidentified'," Carlos said, taking a bite of his burger. Right then, the door opened and a medium-height girl with light brown hair strolled in.

"Hey Carlos," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. The same voice Carlos had heard almost seven years before. His head shot up, and he choked on his food. Margaret slapped his back, trying to help him regain his breathing as the girl approached their table, twirling her keys around her finger.

"P-Piper?!"

* * *

**A/N: Heheehehehe. Review/follow/favorite!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Yay for early updates!:D Don't get used to it. I'm a very lazy person:P And it's kind of short, just a filler, but it's important. But anyways, shoutouts! First one is to ChasingMyDreams87 for constantly supporting me and giving me some ideas for this chapter.**

**Second one is a response to my guest reviewer (MH): Ahahaha, gosh, I miss youXD AND I'M TRYNNA UPDATE AS FAST AS I CAN:P**

**Last one is RandomWriter23 for also being a constant supporter. Y'all keep me going!**

**Thanks for all the follows and favorites, guys. Not many, but just knowing that even a few people are reading my story is an amazing thing. So, here we go!**

* * *

Carlos choked out the name, his surprise causing Alex and Ryan to glance up at the girl. Alex's response was quite similar to Carlos's, whereas Ryan remained silent and seemingly undisturbed. She looked over the brunette Barbie standing before her before excusing herself to the restroom. Margaret cleared her throat and busied herself in clearing up the table and returning to her post behind the counter. The girl, recognized by Carlos as Piper, smiled mischievously at the two men before following Ryan's path to the restroom at the back of the diner.

Ryan was inside, staring into the mirror and gripping the counter so tightly, her knuckles had turned white. She was quite obviously fuming, but she was warring with herself, trying to contain her anger. When the door opened, her head snapped up to see who had dared to disturb her. When she turned around, she was face-to-face with a smirking Piper.

"Ryan, so nice to see you again!" she exclaimed with such fake, tooth-rotting sweetness, Ryan felt like puking. She was pulled into a tight hug, but she was quick to push Piper away. Ryan brushed her hands off on her t-shirt as if she had just touched something revolting and disgusting. In her opinion, that described Piper perfectly, yet the brown-haired bimbo seemed unaffected by the action. She smiled sweetly once more before closing the door behind her. When she turned back around, the smile had turned into a sneer.

"What do you want? I thought you had moved to Boston?" Ryan tried to keep her voice calm and even as she spoke.

"Oh, I just felt like checking in on some old friends. Although I wasn't expecting Carlos to be here as well, it's such a nice surprise," Piper said, her voice oozing fake innocence.

"How do you know Carlos?"

"Oh honey, you haven't gotten much smarter in the past eight years, have you?" Piper said, still not clearly answering Ryan's question. Ryan, in turn, rolled her eyes. As she was about to ask once more, Piper continued to speak.

"We had a little thing going on in the ninth grade, that's all." Piper's response caused some wheels to turn in Ryan's mind. The realization dawned on her, and she frowned before shoving past Piper and making her way to the door of the bathroom. Piper shrugged and proceeded to the mirror to paint her face with whatever it was that she produced from her purse. Ryan shook her head at the girl before turning back to the door. She pushed it open and walked out, only to see Carlos and Alex having a rather intimate conversation.

* * *

The two men were left alone at the table once Piper had followed Ryan to the bathroom. It was silent for a moment before both of them frowned, obviously thinking the same thing.

"How do you know Piper?" Alex asked Carlos.

"Old girlfriend. And you?"

"Um, old girlfriend..." Alex mumbled. Carlos's eyebrows shot up.

"Interesting. When were y'all... A thing?" Carlos asked, quite perplexed at the coincidence.

"Ah, it was a while ago, ninth grade, I guess. We went to school together for a while. And you guys dated when?"

"It was the end of my tenth grade year, and the end of her ninth," Carlos said, slowing down when he said the last part. "I was her rebound? Off of you?!" he shouted suddenly.

"Don't think it was a rebound." Alex muttered under his breath, loud enough for Carlos to hear and raise an eyebrow in question. "When did you guys start dating?"

"I dunno, beginning of second semester? We hung out over winter break, and then it sort of just fell into dating. Why?" Carlos was confused by the whole situation.

"Hm, that's interesting because I broke up with her right before spring break that year. Because she had been cheating on me." Alex emphasized the last part, hoping the Latino would understand his implication. He watched as the realization dawned on Carlos.

"She- she ch- cheated on you with m-me?" Carlos stuttered. Alex nodded in response. "But she- she never told me anything a-about that! She never told me she was cheating!" Carlos exclaimed, his arms flailing out beside him.

"Well no shit. If she had told you, you would've left her," Alex said with a roll of his eyes at his friend's sudden drop in IQ level. He sank back in the booth, and Carlos did the same. The brown-eyed man sat silently, messing with the case on his phone. He looked up and met Alex's gray eyes, trying to communicate the words he wasn't sure how to form. When he finally figured out what to say, he sat forward again.

"I'm sorry, man. I- I didn't know that y'all had anything going on at the time. She never told me, even after y'all broke up. I'm sorry-" Alex cut him off with a breathy laugh.

"You didn't know, so what could you do? Don't worry about it," Alex responded, and Carlos sighed in relief. "It's quite the coincidence, though."

"Small world..." Carlos mumbled in response. Alex nodded at the comment before looking up and seeing Ryan standing outside the bathroom door. When she saw that she had been noticed, she walked back to the booth.

"I see you both figured it out," she said once she had gotten Carlos's attention as well as Alex's. The two just nodded, not meeting her eyes. Ryan sighed and punched them both on the arm. "C'mon, let's leave. I've had enough shit for today, not to mention that I still can't breathe through my nose." Both men nodded once more and stood up. They walked up to the counter and left money to pay for their food and bid goodbye to Margaret, apologizing for leaving her to deal with the girl who was still locked up in the restroom. Margaret just waved them off, and the trio left silently.

* * *

**A/N: Told you it was short. But hopefully I can update again soon enough to make up for it. Review/follow/favorite! *insert pouting Carlos here***


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: HEYO! Sorry I've been gone so long. Turns out, I actually do have a life. Kinda. Okay, well, my life consists of hanging out with my two best friends, and that's it, but so what? I've done a bit of fun stuff the past two weeks, though. For once, summer is actually turning out to be fun. I've played laser-tag, gone to the movies, eaten out, and gone go-karting. Oh yea, and I WENT TO A BTR CONCERT. It was one of the most amazing experiences ever. I'm completely serious. Not exaggerating or anything. When they sang We Are, I cried. It was just amazing. I know I'm gonna get crap about that from my friends who are reading this, but screw it, I'M FREAKING PROUD. Y'know what, I'm just gonna shut up about this now.**

**This story reached a thousand views after the last chapter. Well damn. I don't know how the hell that happened, but thank you! That may not be much, but it's a huge accomplishment for me. I don't care if half of those were from people who only read the first chapter, just the fact that it got ever a thousand views is incredible. I really love you guys.**

**Special thanks to Emy. Elle for reading and reviewing every chapter in two days hahaha. Your reviews were hilarious, and I loved the feedback. Hopefully I'll keep you entertained with this.**

**I'M SHUTTING UP NOW.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable.**

* * *

After the discovery was made, the three friends split up, each going back to their respective residences to sort out their personal thoughts. Ryan was first to be dropped off at her apartment, and she left with nothing more than a hushed thank you. Alex and Carlos drove together in silence, a slight tension in the air that didn't seem to disipitate until the two men arrived at Alex's apartment. Before he got out of the car, he turned to meet Carlos's eyes.

"This doesn't change anything. I'm not mad at you, and neither is Ryan," Alex stated. Carlos replied with a hesitant nod. Alex sighed at his friend's unsure demeanor. "I'm serious. You had no way of knowing, so I'm not gonna blame you. It was high school. God knows I wouldn't have lasted long with that priss anyways." Carlos gave a short but genuine laugh before nodding sincerely. Alex got out and shut the door behind him. He had made it a few steps before he heard Carlos calling his name. He turned to see the Latino smirking from inside his car, the passenger-side window rolled down.

"Just for the record, if she cheated on you with me, I had to be better," Carlos said with a wink before quickly rolling the window up and pulling away from the curb. He looked out the window to see Alex flipping him off, and he laughed, speeding away from the apartment building.

* * *

Alex entered his apartment and immediately crumpled on the couch. His mind was racing, yet he didn't have a single thought for what seemed like an eternity. So many images flew around his head, but he couldn't seem to focus on any of them. He could almost feel the tornado raging inside his skull, but there was no way for him to stop it. He couldn't process the events of the day which resulted in his condition.

Carlos wasn't Alex's worry at all. He truly wasn't upset with him, or even jealous. The facts that had been brought to the table didn't faze him nearly as much as Piper's simple presence. Even after the heartbreak she put him through, he was still stunned by her. Her aura of beauty and confidence seemed to completely destroy everything else. She didn't even seem affected after seeing Alex sitting in the booth with Carlos and Ryan. She just smiled smugly as if it didn't bother her in the slightest. She was completely comfortable with the situation, but Alex was on an entirely different page. After what he happened between them in high school, he had sworn off any sort of dating out of grief. Piper was his first love, but she had left him out to dry.

As he finally brought his brain into focus, memories and feelings that had been shoved into the depths of his mind were released, and everything just went numb.

* * *

When Carlos reached his hotel room, he sighed and fell into the desk-chair. It seemed to have become routine for him to fall into that same chair, staring out the same window, thinking about the same thing. He had done it nearly every night for the past three weeks. He'd come back to his room after a long day and look out over Weston through the tinted glass, lost in his own mind. And every night, he had the same thoughts. His mind reeled back through the day like an old projector, but there was always one frame that the film seemed to pause on every time. Everything else turned hazy, and the focus was locked on that one image

* * *

Ryan stepped into her bedroom and fell backwards onto her unmade bed, reflecting on the day. After almost three successful weeks of keeping things on the down-low, Carlos's secret had been revealed. That, along with the situation with Piper, made the day seem torturously endless. All three friends had the stress of the reopening weighing them down, but the day's events only added pressure. The shop was set to have a very small reopening ceremony that Friday, three days later, but there was no doubt that it would be swarmed with reporters and paparazzi, and quite possibly a few local fans.

Ryan wanted to hate Carlos for it. She knew that something would happen. She thought he only brought trouble; however, deep down, she knew that he had also brought a whole new light into her life as well as Alex's. The duo had been very isolated from the rest of the world, but when Carlos arrived, he introduced them to a different world. It was a world of risks and adventures, even if they were on a rather minuscule level. Together, they had ventured into their pasts by revisiting the park for the first time since middle school and facing Piper for the first time since high school. Ryan had taken a huge leap of faith by letting Carlos into her life, yet she didn't even know how it happened. It seemed more like something had pushed her over the ledge instead of her jumping, but it wasn't a fatal plummet towards death. It was a thrilling, albeit scary, skydive out of her sheltered life. She knew that although she was falling hard and fast, she had the choice to pull the string and release the parachute that would gently lower her down, and she'd get to enjoy the view. She knew she had the choice to save herself. Her biggest problem was that even she knew that a parachute would slow her down enough to spare her life, but her time to enjoy the view was limited. She was scared of hitting the ground before she was ready to give up the exhilirating yet cushioned free-fall.

* * *

**A/N: Yea, short chapter, I know. Sorry to disappoint. It's been a busy two weeks. I promise I'll try and do better next time it was also kind of jumpy and very vague, but obvious at points. Lots of figurative elements hahahaha. Hope you enjoyed it. Review/follow/favorite!**

**IMPORTANT INFO RIGHT HERE! I kind of wanna get to 10 follows (Only one more!) and 50 reviews (13 more!) by chapter 15 (that's three chapters from now!) I think we can meet those goals. If y'all do that for me, I'll be the happiest person in the world. I'm gonna ask for my 50th reviewer and my 10th follower to send in a request for a one-shot. It can be anything you want, just no smut please. I don't mind something slightly suggestive, but I can't do a full-on erotica:P But yea, so that's it. 50 reviews and 10 follows by chapter 15, and the 50th reviewer and 10th follower get to request one-shots. Lets make it happen, guys! Love y'all so much, and thanks once again for getting me to 1000 views! Y'all are amazing.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Yay, I'm not late on this! I actually wrote it the day after I posted the last chapter, but I waited to upload. This chapter is almost all about Carlos, plus, you get to see the guys again. Enjoy!**

**CONTEST THINGAMABOB INFO: I went past 10 follows! I love you guys! My tenth follower was ****_hwoodward. _****Either PM me, or leave a review with your one-shot request. If you don't have a request, I'll ask my eleventh follower. Thanks so much! We have over 40 reviews, so I'm thinking that either this chapter or the next one will get the 50th. Keep it up, y'all! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable.**

* * *

Carlos awoke the next morning in his bed, still wearing the same clothes he had worn the day before. Considering the fact that he didn't even remember getting into bed, he figured he had been too tired to change. When he checked his phone, he found a text from James to get on Skype around noon, Florida time. It was already 11:15, so he yanked himself out of bed, rubbing his hands over his face and yawning.

After trudging around the rather large hotel room, he was finally washed up and changed by 11:50. He sat down on his perfectly made bed and turned on his laptop, grabbing his phone to reply to James's text to tell him he was online. A few minutes later, an alert popped up on the screen to notify Carlos that James had signed on. He clicked the Skype window and immediately pressed the video call button. After a moment taken to connect, James's face appeared on the screen, Kendall and Logan sitting behind him. The two men in the back were on their phones, but they looked up when they heard Carlos's voice.

"Hi guys," he said tiredly.

"Hey Carlos, how's it going?" Kendall responded in an equally tired tone. It was only 9 AM back in LA.

"It's alright, could be better."

"Right. We saw the article," James said in a sympathetic tone. Carlos only sighed, not sure how else to respond. "Sorry, buddy. Any idea who it was?"

"I have an idea, but I'm not sure. Did I ever tell you about the girl I dated back in high school? Piper?" Carlos said. He had thought it over the night before, and her timing just seemed too coincidental with the whole situation. He had yet to talk to Ryan and Alex about it, but she seemed like a good lead.

Logan spoke for the first time, "I think I remember you saying something about her. I'm not sure." The name sounded familiar, but he didn't remember the entire story. Neither Kendall nor James seemed to recall talking about Piper, so Carlos proceeded to tell about what had happened in high school and what he had learned the day before. They listened carefully throughout, and Kendall responded at the end.

"The irony of the situation is pretty funny, but that still sucks. Did she hint at it at all?" Carlos thought for a moment and shrugged slightly.

"Not really. Maybe she said something to Ryan when they were in the bathroom."

"Maybe. How is Ryan doing?" James asked with a mischievous gleam in his eye, smirking slightly. Logan chuckled at the question, and Kendall matched James's smirk.

"She's fine..." Carlos said slowly, silently questioning his friends' expressions. "Why do you ask?" His three best friends only laughed at his confusion. James responded with another question, the smirk never disappearing from his face.

"Have you taken her out yet?" he asked bluntly.

"Wh-what? No! She's just- she's just a friend!" Carlos stuttered.

"Do you WANT to take her out?" James continued his interrogation.

"She is JUST a friend," Carlos sighed out.

"You didn't answer the question," Logan teased in a sing-song voice.

"No, I don't want to take her-"" Carlos was cut off by Kendall.

"Yea, you do," he said, rolling his eyes. He laughed at Carlos's "what the fuck?" face before speaking again. "You're lying to yourself. Tell me that you're not attracted to her," he challenged.

"I'm not attracted to her," Carlos said, licking his bottom lip. James made an "Aha!" noise and pointed. When Kendall noticed Carlos's confusion, he went to explain James's outburst.

"You have a tell. When you're unsure about something or you're lying, you lick your bottom lip, even when you don't realize your lying."

"That's creepy that you know that, especially since I've never told you."

"We see each other every waking moment that we're in the same town. You tend to pick up on these things," Logan stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Whatever, you are nuts. What if my lip was just dry?" Carlos said defensively. All three men on the other side rolled their eyes and gave up before changing the subject.

"So the reopening is on Friday, right?" Kendall asked, receiving a nod from Carlos.

"Yepp! I'm so excited. It's become my little baby." The guys laughed at that.

"We were thinking about coming down for the weekend. Is that okay?" James asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That'd be awesome. I'd love for you guys to be here for the ceremony."

"Won't it draw attention, though?" Logan didn't want to make things worse than they already were.

"It really won't make much of a difference now. Anyways, I want you to meet Alex and Ryan." They smiled and nodded. James had a mischievous look on his face.

"You don't know what you just got yourself into, 'Litos." He winked before disconnecting the call. Carlos sat in confusion for a moment before he received a text from Kendall.

_He's gonna keep messing with you and Ryan, you know that right?_

Almost immediately after reading it, he got another from Logan.

_We'll be flying in tomorrow night around 10. I'll send you the flight info tomorrow morning. We're gonna be staying at the same hotel. Can't wait to meet your girlfriend. Oops, sorry, not girlfriend, just friend..._

Carlos groaned, throwing his head back. Why couldn't he just have normal friends?

* * *

Around 4 o'clock, Carlos decided to go into the shop and put the final touches on everything so that he wouldn't have to worry about it the next day. He pulled up in his black Suburban and noticed a silver Pathfinder parked outside the store. Brushing it off, he walked up to the door of Hooked on Books and produced a key, unlocking the door. Stepping in and locking the door behind him, he went about his regular routine that he had developed over the past three and a half weeks. He walked behind the counter and turned on the large boom box he had brought in during the second week. When he switched it on, a loud beat blasted from the speakers, scaring him half to death. He turned it down before grabbing the portfolio of paperwork from his backpack. When he finally glanced up, he saw Ryan walking up to the counter.

"You scared the living shit out of me, you moron!" she shouted, arms flailing.

"Sorry! I didn't know the stereo's volume was up that loud. What are you doing here anyways and how'd you get in?"

"You gave me a key, dipshit. And I just wanted some quiet time outside of my apartment." Carlos then recalled giving her and Alex their own keys in case they needed to get in when he wasn't available. He nodded, satisfied with her response. "What about you? Pop-star don't have nothin' better to do?" she smirked.

"Haha very funny," Carlos said sarcastically. "I just wanted to take care of everything today. The guys are flying in tomorrow night."

"Wait, the guys are gonna be here?" Ryan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. You gonna go into crazed-fan mode?" Carlos smirked. Ryan matched his expression when she responded.

"No, but Alex might."

* * *

**A/N: Ugh, the damn line-break thing is being a bitch, so the spacing might be a bit weird. I'm sorry. But I hope y'all liked the chapter. Review/follow/favorite! I'd love to know a what y'all think, and I'm hoping we can get to 50 reviews by chapter 15. C'mon guys! Love y'all. **


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Well hello there lovely fanfic-ers. Sorry it took so long, I lost my muse for a while. I was finally able to crank this out, so I hope you like it. The guys are finally introduced in person in this chapter, so I'm excited to see what y'all think. **

**CONTEST INFO: I haven't gotten a response from ****_hwoodward _****yet, and if I don't receive one by the 20th, I'm gonna assume she wants to pass up the offer. We're at 44 reviews, which is absolutely INCREDIBLE, by the way. If we get to 50 after this chapter or the next one, the 50th reviewer will get to put in a one-shot request. Keep reading, guys! The progress I've made in this story is absolutely insane, and I love you all to death. Thank you for everything.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable. **

* * *

Carlos drove to the airport with Ryan and Alex who he had convinced to come. The three arrived at the airport and located the baggage claim that the guys were set to meet them. Ryan and Alex sat down against the wall, messing around with their phones. Carlos remained standing, bouncing on the balls of his feet and trying to see above the heads of the people swarming the area.

"Carlos, calm down. They'll be here," Alex said with an amused eye-roll. Carlos ignored his friend and continued to anxiously look for the three LA men. He hadn't seen them in nearly a month, which was the longest they'd ever been apart, so he had to admit that he horribly missed his brothers.

"Why am I so freaking short?! I can't even see over these people!" Carlos said, a pout obvious in his voice causing Ryan and Alex to laugh.

"Hey, genius, they're standing right there," Ryan said, rolling her eyes and pointing towards the opposite end of the baggage carousel. "Don't freak out, or people will recognize y'all." Carlos nodded, and the three began to weave through the crowd, the two men following Ryan. When he finally spotted his three best friends, a grin split across his face.

"Guys!" he hollered. James was the first to look up, worried they'd been spotted by a fan or reporters. He saw Carlos standing in the sea of people, and he smiled and waved tiredly but genuinely at his short friend. He smacked Logan on the arm and pointed towards their approaching friend.

"Hey man," Logan said, a small smile appearing on his face as Carlos came to stand in front of them. Carlos received a friendly pat on the back from Logan and a side-hug from James. When Kendall appeared behind James, Carlos gave him a smile. Kendall offered a gruff "hey" and moved to pick up his bag. Carlos raised an eyebrow at his friend's grumpiness, and James laughed, offering an explanation.

"We had a row of three seats and Mr. Schmidt here got stuck with the middle seat."

"Four and a half hours of my shoulder being Logan's fucking pillow plus listening to James's snoring. And I was the one getting all the dirty looks from the other passengers!" Kendall sneered. Carlos laughed, very used to the behavior described. The other two retrieved their bags before noticing Alex and Ryan behind Carlos. James cleared his throat and spoke.

"'Litos, your friends look a little uncomfortable. Wanna introduce us?" He smirked at the surprised look on Carlos's face. His eyes had gone wide in realization, and other than the slight stubble dusting his chin, he looked just like a little kid.

"Whoops! Um, guys, this is Alex and Ryan," he said as he stepped to the side, pointing at each of the two as he said their names. Ryan looked over the guys blankly while Alex just stood, frozen in shock. His eyes were wide, mouth clamped shut in fear of saying something stupid. Ryan noticed her friend's state of shock and allowed herself to laugh, bumping Carlos with her arm.

"Told you. You owe me ten bucks." Carlos didn't complain, just laughed and pulled a ten dollar bill out of his wallet, handing it to Ryan. Alex snapped out of his trance and whined at Ryan and Carlos.

"C'mon, you can fangirl more in the car. We gotta leave before someone notices them." Ryan pulled on Alex's arm before turning back around to face Carlos. "Keys?" Carlos tossed her his car keys and watched as the two left to bring the car closer to the baggage claim.

"So," James started slowly, "he's gay?" Carlos looked at him emotionless for a moment before he bursted out laughing, throwing his head back.

"No, James, he's straight as a ruler. He's just a bit obsessed with you, don't really know why." James nodded before his eyes went wide.

"Wait, me?!" Carlos just laughed even harder at the comical expression on James's face. Logan and Kendall joined in on the laughter.

"Look at that, Pretty Boy. Turning straight men to mush. Very nice," Kendall smirked, slapping James on the back. Carlos shook his head at Kendall's sudden change in mood before grabbing two of his friends' bags and leading them out the nearest door to where Ryan was waiting. He could see Alex sitting in the front seat, banging his head on the head-rest. His eyes were shut, so Carlos dropped the bags he was holding at stepped right in front of the window. Ryan saw him, and he signaled for her to stay quiet. He smashed his face on the window, startling Alex into opening his eyes. When he saw Carlos's face smushed against the glass, he let out a scream that could be heard outside the car. Carlos smirked and yanked open the car door.

"Damn, you're easy. Now get out, we have bags to put away." He yanked Alex out of the car and pulled him towards the guys who had watched the scene from the side of the car by the trunk. Ryan got out as well, opening the trunk using a button on the keys. She pocketed the keys and proceeded to help the guys in filling the truck with their luggage.

"Damn, strong for such a small girl," James nodded, clearly impressed at the strength of the 5-foot-5 girl standing before him. Ryan rolled her eyes and shut the trunk as she walked back around to the driver's seat. Alex returned to the passenger's seat, and the four remaining boys sat in the back two rows.

"You're letting her drive your baby? You got it bad, man," James whispered to Carlos with a smirk.

"Can it, Maslow," Carlos hissed. "She clearly doesn't want to be stuck in the back with you three, and would you rather have lover boy sharing a seat with you?" He raised an eyebrow at his friend who just chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. Kendall poked his head in from behind where he and Logan were sitting.

"Still, you never let us drive it, and you didn't even raise an eyebrow when she sat down up front."

"Y'all should really learn how to whisper better," Ryan sighed, addressing the three boys for the first time. Kendall laughed, receiving a slap on the head from Carlos who was blushing madly.

"So, uh, you guys are staying at the same hotel as I am, right?" Carlos asked, trying to change the subject. After hearing three different sounds of agreement, he continued. "You wanna unpack and get settled then come to my room for a bit?" Once again, he received three responses of approval. "Ryan, Alex, you wanna join us?"

"Umm-" Ryan started, unsure. She was cut off by Kendall.

"Yes? Awesome! Oh look, we're here." Kendall ignored Ryan's eye-roll and climbed over Logan, James, and Carlos to exit the car.

"I guess we're staying."

* * *

The three men had made their way up to their suite, and Carlos, Ryan, and Alex waited in Carlos's room. Carlos was spinning on his desk chair while Ryan half-laid on her back on his bed. Alex was sitting on the floor against the wall, banging his head into it as he reflected on the past couple hours. His reaction was nothing short of humiliating, and he knew he would be teased about it as soon as the others arrived. Carlos paused his spinning to watch Alex then spoke.

"Alex, calm down, it's not a big deal. We've seen much worse reactions." Alex snorted at that.

"Yea, from thirteen year old girls, not 22 year old guys."

"We've had a few guys in their twenties-"

"That were gay," Alex interrupted, glaring at the Latino who shrugged sheepishly. They looked up when they heard Ryan sigh.

"Calm down, suck it up, and be a man. It really isn't a big deal. You'll get used to breathing the same air as James, and everything will be normal." She was lying down, her voice laced with amusement. Alex just grumbled, and Carlos decided to change the subject.

"So the opening is tomorrow..." he began, waiting for someone to make a comment in response. The mood in the room shifted ever so slightly, more tense than before. It was quiet for a moment before Ryan spoke up, her voice small.

"I'm scared." Carlos was astonished at the confession. He wasn't surprised that she was scared, but he wasn't expecting her to outright admit it. He moved over to the bed where she was still splayed out, hands covering her face. When he reached the foot of the bed, he grabbed her hands from her face and used them to pull her up. Even when she was sitting, looking him straight in the eye, he didn't let go. Rubbing soft circles on the backs of her hands, he noticed her visibly relax.

"Nothing will happen. It's hard to believe, I know, but just trust that I won't let anything go wrong." Ryan nodded, trying to believe his words. Carlos looked skeptical of the response, so Ryan gave him a small but genuine smile which he returned. Alex cleared his throat, interrupting the silent exchange.

"Hate to kill the moment, but Carlos, James just texted you," he said, holding the Latino's iPhone in his hands. "They're on their way up." Just then, they heard a knock at the door.

"Well, my bandmates are hanging out with my hometown friends," he began as he walked to the door. "This ought to be an interesting night."

* * *

**A/N: Welp. There you go. By the way, I know Ryan says "y'all" a lot, but I'm not doing it purposely. That'. exactly how I talk, so I hope you guys don't think I'm overdoing it. I'm not trying to drake it or anything, that is just how I really speak, so that's how I make her speak. Anyways, hope you liked it. Follow/Favorite/Review por favor, mis amigos! Only 6 more review before we hit 50!:D Until next time, FORK CHOP!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I'M SORRY, OKAY, DON'T KILL ME. I KNOW, I KNOW, IT'S BEEN FOREVER. I really really wanted to update a while ago, but then Big Time Dreams came on, and I just sat there and cried. After that, I was kinda just in a slump. But either way, I'm here now! Special thanks to ChasingMyDreams87 for coming up with I think every single question they used during the game. One of my friends requested another game of BS Interrogation, so I hope you like it! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable. **

* * *

The group of six was scattered around the small hotel room, engaged in loose conversations. Alex had calmed down slightly and was chatting with James and Logan while Kendall, Carlos, and Ryan had a conversation of their own. Carlos and Kendall were talking about the bookstore's reopening, Ryan putting in her two cents every now and again. Suddenly, Alex spoke out loudly, addressing everyone in the room.

"I'm bored!" he shouted. "Let's do something, please!" The other five adults looked at each other, shrugging. Alex groaned, throwing his head back before Carlos snapped his fingers.

"Ryan, get the cards out of the desk drawer," he said. Ryan's confused expression soon turned into one of realization, and a grin split across her face as she complied. Alex seemed to get the hint and whooped in excitement. The three remaining men glanced at each other in confusion.

"Circle time!" Alex cheered in a high-pitched voice, clapping his hands. The group laughed and formed a circle on the floor.

"Cards? Seriously, man?" Logan questioned, raising an eyebrow as he sat down between Kendall and James.

"You'll see," Carlos smirked in response. He shared a devious look with Ryan and Alex as he watched Ryan deal out the cards. Once the deck had been split among the six, Carlos proceeded to explain the game.

"If someone calls bullshit and they're right, they get to ask the other person a question of any kind. If they're wrong, the person can ask them."

"Why do I get a feeling none of us will survive without being completely and utterly humiliated?" Kendall asked.

"Because it's true," Ryan responded with a smirk. "Shall we begin?" After receiving responses of agreement, she started off the game. They managed to make it to six before someone was caught.

"Two sixes," Carlos claimed as he placed the cards face down on the growing pile.

"BULLSHIT!" Alex hollered. Carlos grumbled, picking up the stack and adding it to his collection. He looked up at Alex expectantly. After a moment of careful deliberation, he spoke.

"Fine, I won't be a douche. What would you be doing if you weren't in the band?"

"Uh, I don't know. I'd probably still be doing something in the industry. Hopefully I'd be acting and singing, maybe doing something with film," he shrugged. Alex nodded, satisfied with the answer, and Ryan continued the game.

"One seven."

"Two eights," from Alex.

"One nine," Kendall said.

"BS." Logan chanted confidently. Kendall smirked and turned over the card he had put down, revealing a nine of spades. Logan cursed and snatched up the four cards that made up the pile.

"Alright Logie, have you ever had a threesome? If so, with who?" Logan grumbled at Kendall's question before muttering his response.

"Some girl I met at a bar and her boyfriend." Hearing that caused the room to explode in laughter.

"Y-yo-you fucked with a-another d-dude?!" James choked out between his laughs.

"I did no such thing! He simply took her from behind while I took the front!" Logan shouted defensively. A whole new round of laughter erupted from the other five.

"TWO TENS!" Logan shouted, slapping his cards down to catch the others' attention. They took a moment to calm down before James followed up with an eleven. The game went on, no secrets revealed until Kendall's turn came once again.

"Three tw-"

"BULLSHIT!" James hollered triumphantly, cutting Kendall off.

"Go screw yourself." He snatched the cards up and turned to face James.

"What was the most random place you've had sex?" James asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Umm..." he took a second to think before nodding. "Airport bathroom." Once again, the five other people in the room began to laugh. "She didn't want me to leave!" he shouted defensively, throwing his arms up, careful not to reveal his hand.

"I'm sure that was it, buddy," Logan said, patting his friend on the back. The game progressed for a few minutes before James was caught by Ryan.

"If you had to kiss one of the guys, who would it be?" He maintained a relaxed demeanor before smirking.

"Definitely Alex," he said with a wink. Alex blushed madly and began shuffling his cards as a distraction.

"Nice try. One of the other three, genius," Ryan retorted. James groaned.

"Fine, fine. I dunno, Logan?" Kendall and Carlos burst out laughing and Ryan snorted in amusement at the face Logan made. He scooted away from James who rolled his eyes.

"What, you fucked a random slut's boyfriend, yet you're disgusted by kissing me?"

"I DID NOT SCREW HIM!"

"Oh, so you bottomed?" Carlos asked with a grin.

"Fuck you all," Logan groaned.

"Jesus, Logan. I mean, first a threesome, now you wanna all of us? Only one of which is a chick?" Kendall clicked his tongue as he shook his head. Logan slapped him upside the head, but he continued to smile out of amusement. Carlos came to Logan's rescue by putting down a card and drawing everyone's attention back to the game. Ryan then took her turn, placing down three cards.

"BULL CRAP!" James shouted. Ryan reluctantly picked up the cards muttering "karma's a bitch."

"I'm not gonna be mean. Who's your biggest celebrity crush?"

"Damn, I dunno, uhh... Mayb- OH! Jesse McCartney," she nodded. "Yea, Jesse."

"Interesting choice. You don't exactly look the type." When Ryan raised her eyebrow, he elaborated. "I dunno, he's a pop artist, you seem more like an indie or rock girl," he shrugged.

"I am. I just have a soft spot for certain pop artists. Plus, he's an actor, too," Ryan explained, not at all surprised at James's assumption. He nodded in understanding, and Ryan turned to look at Alex. He put down a single card but still got called out by Kendall.

"What's the stupidest thing you've ever done?"

"Skateboarded off of the side of the Galveston sea wall," he responded. Ryan chuckled at the memory of seventeen-year-old Alex tumbling down the side of the wall.

"How the hell did you manage that?" Carlos asked.

"Well, me and Ryan were on vacation together, and she dared me to ride as close to the edge as possible. I broke my left leg, left arm, and fractured two ribs. Oh, and I got a concussion. Took me a few days to remember everything."

"For your sake, I hope you're better at it now," James said.

"I am. Haven't been out in a while, but I'm sure I haven't lost my skills entirely," he said. James nodded, and the game continued until Logan yawned.

"Imma head back, it's already 3:30. Y'all comin'?" he asked the other two. They shrugged then nodded in agreement. After saying goodnight to Carlos, Alex, and Ryan, they left the hotel room. Alex glanced at Ryan who had gone back to her original position on Carlos's bed after removing her contacts and putting on her glasses that she had kept in her bag. He chuckled when he saw her, as did Carlos.

"Well, I should head out, it's late. Good thing we brought our cars before going to the airport." Carlos chuckled and nodded, yawning slightly. "I'm gonna let you handle her," he whispered. "Night bro, see you in like five hours!" He waved over his head as he exited the room. Carlos moved to his suitcase to grab a pair of clothes for the night.

"Ryan?" he called as he picked a pair of grey sweats and a black tank. When he was met with silence, he furrowed his eyebrows. "Ryan?" he asked again. He walked back toward his bed where he saw Ryan curled up, asleep. He smiled at the site before gently shaking her shoulder, calling her name again. She aroused slightly, responding with a soft hum. Carlos realized she was clearly too sleepy to safely drive, so he allowed her to fall back asleep as he went to the restroom to change and get ready for bed.

When he returned from the bathroom, he saw that Ryan had moved over to one side of the bed, making room for him to sleep. He smiled at the sight, expecting her to be asleep once more. He chuckled in surprise when she lifted her hand, sleepily patting the space next to her, not even opening her eyes.

"Just a second," he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear. She hummed in acknowledgement before allowing sleep to engulf her once again. Carlos set an alarm for 6 AM on the hotel alarm clock before setting two others on his phone, one for 6:15 and one for 6:30. By the time he finally made his way back to the bed, Ryan was fast asleep. He smiled softly and gently removed her glasses, setting them on the nightstand before climbing into bed.

* * *

**A/N: That took a totally different turn from what I had planned. I didn't really know show I was gonna end it, but hey, it worked. This story seriously has a mind of its own.**

**GUYS, THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER TO GET ME TO 50 REVIEWS TO WIN THE CONTEST! C'MON, LES DO THIS! I love y'all to the end of the world and back. Follow/Favorite/Review! **

**OH, AND Y'ALL GOT ME TO 15 FOLLOWS. I FUCKING LOVE YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACES, THAT'S AWESOME! *Carlos Hugs for All* **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: HEYO! So, been doing a crap-ton of writing lately. Finally posted BatGirlHenderson's one-shot, Tender Love and Care, and started a new James story, Magnetic Miracle. I know, I know, starting a new story is a dumb idea since I barely even update this one, but I couldn't help it! I had to. Go check it out!**

**Short filler chapter leading up to a bit a drama and a ton of laughs(;**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything you might recognize. **

* * *

Ryan awoke at the sound of rustling fabric early the next morning. She opened her eyes but quickly regretted it when she was hit by the sunlight pouring in through the window. Her eyes shut tight, she heard a chuckle and the sound of curtains closing before a voice she recognized as Carlos's.

"I was just about to wake you, you slept through all three alarms." Her eyes fluttered open, and she sighed in relief at the darkness of the room. Carlos continued to speak as she sat up and groggily put her glasses on. "It's only 7:40, but we gotta leave for the shop by 8:30. You wouldn't happen to have clothes in your car would you? I don't think you have time to drive to your apartment."

"I think I have a shirt, and I can just wear these jeans again," she mumbled as she moved the sheets off of her and threw her legs over the side of the bed. She grabbed her keys from her bag and slid on her shoes as she walked to the door. "Be back in a second, bathroom better be open."

She shut the door behind her leaving Carlos to continue getting ready for the day. Having already gone through his morning bathroom routine, he proceeded to change into a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt with a vest. After deeming himself ready, he started to pack his suitcase back up. He had been awake and gathering his things since 5 o'clock that morning to prepare for his departure the next day. After packing away all of his unnecessary toiletries, he zipped up his suitcase and set it against the wall. Just then, Ryan knocked on the door. He unlocked it and allowed her in. She jsauntered in with a plaid button-down in her hands then snatched her bag off of the floor

"I'm gonna go get ready in the bathroom. Shouldn't take long." Carlos nodded in response, and Ryan shut the bathroom door behind her. Only ten minutes later, she walked out looking fresher than before. The black-framed glasses still rested on her nose, and her hair was pulled up into a ponytail.

"You ready to go? It's only 8:05, so we can stop and grab breakfast," Carlos suggested. Ryan nodded her head in approval and slung her messenger-bag across her body, stuffing her feet into her beat-up sneakers once more. Carlos picked up his wallet, phone, and keys, and the two left the hotel room.

The ride down the elevator and walk to the car were comfortably quiet, neither of the two wanting to break the peaceful silence. After five minutes of driving in Carlos's car, they arrived at the diner. They were greeted by the smell of breakfast food and coffee as well as Margaret's upbeat salutation. After a short chat with the little old lady, they two exited the shop with a to-go bag, drinks in hand.

"I don't know how you drink that stuff, it's so bitter," Carlos remarked as he sipped his hot chocolate, one hand on the steering wheel.

"I hate coffee, but Margaret's is oddly amazing," Ryan responded. "There's a bit of hazelnut in it, and a crap-ton of creamer. It's not anything like that Starbucks shit. Here, try it." She extended her hand, shoving the half-empty cup into the man's hand. He took a cautious sip before smacking his lips.

"Interesting," he said nodding considerately and handing the cup back to her. "Not bad, but the cocoa is so much better." He half-smirked at Ryan who shrugged and took a sip.

"To each his own." She unlatched her seatbelt as Carlos pulled into a parking spot directly in front of Hooked on Books. They climbed out just as Alex pulled up in his yellow Chevy pick-up truck. The three met at the door which Carlos had unlocked.

The ceremony would begin at ten, but no one other than Ryan, Alex, Carlos, James, Kendall, Logan, and the shop's previous owners were expected to attend. Margaret had promised to try, but wasn't sure if she could get away from the diner. Regardless of the small amount of expected guests, the three were in a slight panic. In the hour and a half they had before the ceremony, they prepared themselves. Shelves were dusted, books were straightened, and pep talks were given.

"This is it. This is what we've been working towards for a month!" Carlos sighed, rubbing his hands together thoughtfully. Alex chuckled at the shorter man's obvious nervousness and patted his shoulder light-heartedly.

"Calm your pants. Everything's gonna be fine. You've got the guys, and you've got us, what could go wrong?"

"A lot. Paparazzi, reporters, fan-attacks, swarms of people. A lot." When Carlos said this, the previously quiet and calm Ryan turned white as a sheet before taking off running to the bathroom in the staff room behind the counter.

"And there goes the only other stable person here." Alex sighed before leaving Carlos's side. "Just hang on a minute, the guys will be here soon," he shouted over his shoulder as he jogged around back to where he knew Ryan would be. He found her leaning over the sink, breathing slowly but heavily through her mouth. Her long and straight bangs hung like string in front of her face, her hands gripping roughly at the sink, knuckles going white. He walked up to her slowly but surely, placing a hand on her back.

"You alright?" he asked somewhat stupidly.

"Carlos is an idiot," she panted out between heavy breaths. Alex laughed loudly at that.

"I know, but you love him for it." When Ryan remained silent, he sighed and pulled her up by the shoulders. "C'mon, we have a ceremony to prep for."

* * *

The remaining three boys of Big Time Rush arrived no more than a half-hour later. Assisting in setting up, they ran around the store, terrified by Ryan's strict demeanor. She had long since recovered from her panic attack and began commanding the five other men in the shop. None of them had the mind to refuse her demands immediately after she barked them out.

Logan and Carlos stood in the music section of Hooked on Books, straightening the CDs and antique records stocked up on the shelves. They heard Ryan shout another request at Alex from across the store, and Logan chuckled.

"Chick is psycho," he mumbled.

"She's stressed out, man," Carlos defended. Logan raised an eyebrow, but decided not to oppose the Latino.

"Well, last night was interesting. Definitely fun. Where'd that game come from? We've never played it."

"The two of them came up with it when they first met. We played it the first time we hung out." Carlos remained focused on neat ending up the rack, his OCD showing through heavily.

"It was cool, definitely a tour bus game." Logan turned away from the shelf, leaning his back against it. He observed his friend for a moment before sighing. "I think we're done now, man." He grabbed Carlos by the arm, pulling him away from the CDs. "Come on, ceremony starts in half an hour."

* * *

**A/N: Hehehe, different spin on a typical "morning after" situation. Anyways, the next chapter brings slight drama and intense hilarity. If you want it, follow/favorite/review!**

**Check out my new James story, Magnetic Miracle, and my Logan one-shot for BatGirlHenderson aka MY 50TH REVIEW!:D The one-shot is called Tender Love and Care. Love you guys. Thank you for all the love and support. **

**By the way, I'll probably be alternating between this story and the new one, so expect an update every other week for each one individually. I'm hoping to post a chapter for at least one story every week, but seriously, we all know I'm a horrible updated. I'M SORRY FORGIVE ME AND I'LL GIVE YOU ALL VIRTUAL HUGS JUST PLEASE OKAY BYE. **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Ello, Ello, Ello, good people! Guess what?! I just got back from the most beautiful place I've ever been, so I'm in an amazing mood. Then again, school starts on Monday... not so great.**

**ANYWAYS, I know I promised drama and hilarity, but this is mostly just drama... Meep. I'm sorry. The next chapter will bring a decent amount of hilarity, I swear! Just wait, I have some interesting stuff in store hehehe. **

**I dunno, not much to say anymore... THIS IS WEIRD. I ALWAYS HAVE RANDOM SHIT TO TALK ABOUT... Huh. Well damn...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable. **

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The second Ryan stepped out of the bathroom with Alex, she made a move to run back in. He caught her by the arm, dragging her towards where Carlos stood with James, Logan, and Kendall. The four men all seemed distressed, but tried to hide it when they saw Ryan staring at them.

"Ryan," Kendall smiled weakly, "the place looks great." All Ryan did was nod as she stared at the scene outside the window.

"It's obvious how much work you all put into it," Logan tried, receiving a similar reaction.

"Ryan, say something," James said gently but sternly. Her head snapped up at him.

"What." It wasn't even a question. The way she whispered the word held no emotion or character. The girl they were seeing then did not seem to be the same one from the previous night. This one was scared and desperate. Nothing like that tough, outgoing girl that wouldn't seem to give any of the three the time of day. Startled yet persistent, they shakily continued to take turns trying to make her speak until Carlos spoke up, breaking his long silence.

"Come here," was all he said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, walking her to the back of the store. He sat on a stool that was placed in front of one of the CD samplers and pulled her towards him where she stood between his legs. The height of the barstool kept Carlos at eye level with Ryan. They stared at each other silently, Carlos's hands running up and down her arms comfortingly. After a while, he broke the silence.

"I'm sorry. I-I know I promised this wouldn't happen, but..." He sighed. "I really don't know. Ranel is out there right now, trying to get them to leave. We're not gonna start until they're gone." Ryan nodded, understanding his situation. She knew it wasn't his fault, and she didn't blame him. She tried for a smile, but he looked down, avoiding eye contact.

"'Los?" She snapped her fingers in front of his face, receiving no response. She knelt in front of him, lifting his chin to force him into looking her in the eye. She saw the same broken expression she had seen only once before. The way his eyes shone with unshed tears, his bottom lip tucked between his teeth, eyebrows crinkled in worry. She sighed as she stood up, pulling him with her. Reluctantly, he stood, sighing when she wrapped her arms around him. He fell into the embrace, laying his head on her shoulder. Ryan rubbed his back up and down, dropping a soft kiss on his shoulder. About equal in height, they were face-to-face when they pulled apart, both breathing heavily. Ryan tried for a smile, giving a simple "come on" gesture before walking back to the front of the store.

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Twenty minutes after the two had returned, the front entrance had been completely cleared. Ranel stood inside the shop right next to the door, constantly turning to check outside the windows for any last lurking photographers. Kendall and James were seated at one of the many benches scattered around the store while Alex stood with Logan, chatting about something or another. Carlos and Ryan rushed about the store, picking things up and putting them down. It was 11:00 when they were finally ready, and the two of them ushered everyone outside where the classic red ribbon had been set up. The original owner handed Carlos the large pair of scissors that would be used to cut the ribbon. He glanced up at Alex and Ryan and waved them over.

"Officially, I own it, but this place is just as much yours as it'll ever be mine." And with that, each of the three placed a hand on the scissors and dramatically snipped open the red silk ribbon. Camera flashes went off from each of the three remaining men and the couple that previously owned the shop. They all whooped with excitement and rushed about, giving and receiving hugs and words of congratulations. All of a sudden, a loud, slow clapping was heard. Once glance in the general direction, and the source was found.

"Well, congratulations, all of you. You got rid of the paparazzi. Your precious little store is open-" Ryan rolled her eyes, annoyed simply by her presence.

"This is a closed ceremony, Piper," she said, but Piper continued talking.

"People will still flock the place-"

"Piper, you need to leave," Alex commanded. She continued.

"Your little safe spot is gone forever-"

"Get out, Piper," Carlos nearly shouted, but to no avail.

"All thanks to me." She finished with a satisfied grin.

"Ranel?" James turned to their security guard who nodded.

"Ma'am, I'm gonna have to escort you off the premises if you don't leave immediately."

"Have fun with your shop." She smirked in Ryan's direction before turning on her heel and waltzing away. Ryan turned to face Carlos, one eyebrow raised.

"What did that mean?" Carlos sighed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully before speaking.

"She must've been the one to leak it to TMZ. How she found out, I'm not sure."

"Of course it was her. How did I not think of that?!" Ryan slapped her forehead with her palm before walking away from the group and into the store, grumbling something along the lines of "stupid."

"Well," Logan started, "that didn't exactly go as planned."

"She's hot," Kendall mumbled, receiving a glare from Logan and an elbow in the stomach from James.

"Ouch!" he yelped. "I was just saying..."

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"You okay?" James asked Ryan after spending half an hour trying to get her to talk, finally just cornering her in private, away from all of the others.

"Fine," she responded blankly, staring directly in his eyes. He rolled his eyes at the response, crossing his arms across his chest.

"No you're not."

"If you knew why did you ask?" She raised an eyebrow challengingly.

"Wow, you're a pain in the ass," he groaned, grabbing his head with his hands.

"Feeling is mutual," she retorted.

"What did I ever do to you?" He was genuinely confused. She had seemed closed off to him since they had met the night before, but he had already been informed of her status as a Rusher.

"Treated me like a girl," she said flatly, as if it were the most obvious thing ever. This response confused James even more. He wasn't exactly sure what was wrong with treating someone like the gender that they were.

"What is it with girls?! So damn confusing..." His arms flailed at his sides.

"Not helping yourself, Maslow." She rolled her eyes.

"Whatever it was, I guess I'm sorry for it...?" he asked more than stated.

"I'm not a frail little bitch. Treat me like I'm capable and I'll get off your case."

"Okaaaay..." Despite his perpetual confusion, he changed the subject back to the matter at hand. "Anyways, I just wanted to see how you were holding up, though I see you're back to making your snappy comments, so I guess things are headed back in the right direction." She smirked at that.

"Can't handle my humor, screw off." He groaned, throwing his head back.

"Okay, you're insane. Aren't you supposed to be a fan? Why do seem to hate me?" he questioned.

"I am a fan, and I don't hate you. I just don't like people thinking of me as a weakling when I could bench half of them over my head. Just because I'm a loyal and dedicated fan doesn't mean I'm not gonna be offended by something you say or do just because you're you. Now if you would please just make your point, Sherlock?" Ryan raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"I just wanted to see how you were holding up. Carlos told us the story, and I figured it must be hard to deal with." Her expression softened at that.

"I'm fine, really. But I could use a night out with some friends." She said, hoping he'd catch her drift.

"We'll close down early later tonight, wrangle up the crew, and head out. It's our last night, anyways. How does that sound?" He threw his arm around her shoulder casually as they walked back towards their group of friends. She smiled at the thought.

"Perfect."

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**A/N: So there you go, a little bit of this, little bit of that. What's with James's randomly large part in this chapter? Why did Kendall call Piper hot? Did that shoulder-kiss Ryan gave Los mean anything? Why doesn't Logan have a mystery in this? Where the fuck was Alex during half of this? In the next chapter, questions will be answered, but more will be asked. **

**Hah, I'd suck at writing trailers and promos. Honestly, it won't be nearly as dramatic as I'm making it sound, so just read to see what happens hehehehe. NEXT CHAPTER: HILARITY.**

**I LOVES YOU ALL. Follow/Favorite/Review!**

**Magnetic Miracle will be updated next weekend at the latest. Check it out if you haven't already. I decided to try my hand at writing for James. Lemme know what you think of it! **


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